The Unknown
by Avy73
Summary: Steve McGarrett has another sister. Just how do they find each other and what will their lives be like after they find one another? My first fanfic, I'm not good at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

As Steve was drug into the dark, dank room; he saw the young woman. Her hands were chained above her head from the ceiling, just as they were doing to him. She stood, barely holding herself up on her toes. Her shoes and socks were gone; presumably to keep her from running away.

He could tell that she had suffered already; one of her eyes was blackened and dried blood streaked from the corner of her mouth. His eyes locked onto hers and he felt something familiar about the woman.

He could see the terror in her vibrant green eyes. Her body was shaking, but he couldn't decide if it was from fear or the coldness of the room. He leaned towards fear. Once the men had suspended his hands from the chains in the ceiling, they left the room. His toes barely touched the floor. He looked at her, "What's your name?"

She watched as they brought in a man. He was tall and looked strong. He fought against the four guards as they chained his hands above his head, causing him to stretch on his toes. He made eye contact with her, and asked her name. As she opened her mouth to respond, WoFat appeared at the door to the room.

"Steve, so glad you could join us." Stated WoFat, as he walked into the room, his creepy smirk stretched from ear to ear. He didn't lay a finger on Steve, instead he walked over to the young woman; she flinched as his hand gently caressed her face. "I want to introduce you to our sister, Azucena Santiago."

Steve and Azucena both took in the words presented to them, and then looked at each other. She noted his height. That was the only thing she found to be similar to herself. However, he saw many more similarities to the rest of his family. She had Mary's nose, his dad's green eyes, and his grandmother's auburn hair color.

WoFat interrupted Steve's assessment of Azucena, "You see Steve, your mother faked her death, unbeknownst to everyone. As it turns out, she was pregnant at the time of her 'death.'"

WoFat changed his focus to the restrained girl, running his hand along her body. She moved to escape his touch as he talked, "You, young lady, were raised by a CIA agent, who kept your entire family a secret from you. Your father wasn't the Columbian who was killed in the cross hairs of the drug trade, but an Irish-American man named John McGarrett. Your Argentinian and Columbian backgrounds are non-existent. And although your Spanish is impeccable, it's not your true native tongue."

WoFat continued his tirade, "Steven, did you know that Azucena lost her mother when she was just 8 years old? That was what, 11 years ago?"

He looked at her, as if he expected an answer. She just stared at him, and waited for what she knew was coming. "Claudia Santiago was killed in a house fire."

He paused, looked to both of them, and then continued, "And just like Doris McGarrett, she was an active CIA agent, but her cover in this instance was as a bookkeeper for the Italian mob in Kansas City, Kansas."

He planted himself in front of the girl, "Azcuena, who is Shelbourne?"

The young woman looked confused, she had never heard this word in her life. He stared at her and her confusion showed in her face, "I don't know what you are talking about."

He pulled back his clenched fist and punched her in the face. The force of the punch caused her feet to come out from under her and her body swung on the chains. It took her a minute to work through the pain in her cheek and eye. Her breath coming in ragged gasps.

Steve fought against the chains screaming, "Leave her alone."

WoFat walked back up to Azucena, grabbed her face with one hand and squeezed. He forced her to look at him; his hand was like a vice grip. She knew she would have finger shaped bruises on her face when this was all over and done with, "That's the wrong answer."

He walked around the young woman again, this time trailing his hand along her collarbone and down her back, "Azucena, who is Shelbourne."

"I don't know what that means." She paused, Steve could tell the poor girl genuinely didn't know who or what Shelbourne was, "I don't know this name!"

WoFat grabbed a handful of her long, wavy auburn hair and pulled it hard. Her head snapped back, she screamed from the pain he caused her. He screamed in her face, "You aren't telling the truth!"

He let her hair go and as she relaxed from the release of her hair, he punched her in the back, right in the kidneys. The air went out of her lungs; she hung limply from the chains as she worked to recover from the pain. Steve fought against the chains, "Quit hurting her!"

WoFat left the young woman to recover and walked over near Steve. He made sure he was far enough away from Steve that he couldn't be reached, "Steven, we are going to continue this line of questioning until she tells me everything she knows about Shelbourne."

"She doesn't know anything! Can't you see that?" Steve responded, anger coursing through every fiber of his body. He could withstand torture. As a SEAL, it was part of the training. He would rather be tortured than watch someone else endure the pain and agony. Steve read people and situations for a living. The word Shelbourne was a new word to this woman. She had no clue who or what Shelbourne was.

He walked back to Azucena and started brushing hair out of her face, "Beautiful little sister, tell me who Shelbourne is and I will let you go."

"I have never heard that name before. I don't know." She answered, a hard edge in her voice and her posture defiant. Steve could tell she was steeling herself for the next blow. WoFat pulled back and punched the girl in the ribs, once with his left hand and again with his right hand. Steve could hear her gasp for breath. He knew the agony of a rib punch, let alone two in a row.

By now the girl had tears streaming down her face from the pain. WoFat walked over to her, using his finger, he lifted her chin to look him in the eye. "Little sister, tell me what you know."

"I don't know anything." She spat out, her body hanging limply from the chains overhead.

He punched her across the face, this time assaulting the eye that hadn't already been injured. She swung with the chains. Her body screamed from the pain and she was scared. It took some time, but she found her footing. By this time, Steve had screamed himself hoarse, and the chains binding his hands were digging into his wrist and they had begun to bleed.

"Little sister" WoFat said softly near her ear, "We will do this until you tell me what I want to know."

"I can't tell you what I don't know." She answered, anger boiling in her battered person. WoFat punched her in the ribs again, only this time he struck her left side. She couldn't breathe, she gasped for air and tried to stand up, but her body was struggling to keep up.

As she struggled to right herself, WoFat walked over to Steve. He kept his distance, but stepped close enough to taunt him, "Tell me about Shelbourne."

"I don't know anything about Shelbourne."

"Don't lie to me Steven!" he yelled at the other man. He turned around and started attacking Azucena, blow after blow hitting her in the face and stomach. The woman was a punching bag for the enraged man. Steve fought against the chains and yelled for WoFat to stop, "Stop! You're killing her!"

"Steven, tell me who Shelbourne is."

Steve gave up; he couldn't watch this poor woman continue to be beat to a pulp. "I found the name in a toolbox in my parent's house after my dad died."

Steve watched the young woman struggle to gain her feet back under herself. Eventually, she found her footing and stood on her toes, and she watched as WoFat questioned Steve. "Tell me more Steve."

"There's not much more to tell. I don't know who or what Shelbourne is. I found the name on a map."

"LIAR!" WoFat screamed, "You know more!"

WoFat all but ran over to Azucena, preparing to inflict more damage on the young woman. Azucena knew what was coming next and she'd be damned if she was going to allow it to happen again. As WoFat approached her, she concentrated every ounce of energy she had into her legs and abdomen. Holding onto the chains with her hands, using her core, she kicked both legs up and into WoFat's face.

He yelled in pain, blood spraying everywhere, "You stupid bitch! You broke my nose!"

She found irony in the fact that he was upset that she broke his nose when he had beat her to a bloody pulp. The adrenaline that rushed her system quickly dissipated when he stood up and launched a roundhouse kick to her left side. There were no words to describe the pain that shot through her body. There was not enough oxygen in the world in that moment. She was certain he broke some of her ribs.

He grabbed her face with his hands, knowing in this weakened state she wouldn't have the strength to kick him again, "We are not done and it is going to get much worse."

She was barely able to breathe, she didn't say anything. The tears from the pain streamed down her cheeks and all she could hear was Steve yelling, "Leave her alone!"

What neither Azucena or WoFat had noticed when WoFat turned to assault Azucena, was Steve working the pin Jenna had provided him into the chains above his head. He was trying to get the chains off in time to help her. He could barely stomach watching WoFat torture the girl, he figured things weren't going to get better, so taking out WoFat would have to happen for them to escape.

WoFat retreated from the room, nursing his broken nose as he left. Steve continued to work the pin into the keyhole of the cuffs above his head. Jiggling the pin a few times, he was able to release the cuffs above his head.

He dropped down to his bare feet and rubbed his wrists where the chains had dug into his skin. He quietly ran over to Azucena who was so engrossed in the pain and difficulty breathing, she hadn't noticed Steve free himself.

"Shh," he whispered, "I'm going to get that stool over there and stand on it to work the lock loose."

She slowly nodded her head, her pain radiating through her body more and more.

Using the pin Jenna provided, he worked through the padlock and managed to release her from the chains, he grabbed her body before she could collapse on the ground. As his hands connected with her torso, she moaned. He grab under her armpits to help hold her up as she found her footing and he said softly, "Shh, shh, shh, I know it hurts. But we have to be quiet and get out of here."

She managed to get her feet under her body; she held herself up with his shoulders. He gently put his hands on both sides of her face, looking into her eyes, asked softly "Can you walk?

"Yeah." She wheezed, as she looked at him with fierce determination. She wasn't going to stay in this room any longer than she had to. She would find the strength within her to follow this man out of this prison.

"Good girl." He could only imagine the pain she was feeling, however they had to get out of this place. He grabbed her hand and half pulled her out of the room. He could tell she was exhausted and in terrible pain, but she was giving it every ounce of energy she had to keep up with him.

Steve silently took down the guard watching their room via a sleeper hold through barred doors. He took the keys from the guard's belt and pushed the body away from the door. Unlocking the door through the bars, it creaked as they pushed open the cell door.

Steve grabbed her hand and looked to the young girl, "Stay close and be as quiet as possible."

She nodded her head in understanding, trying to internally minimize the pain she was currently feeling. The adrenaline of possibly being caught provided a little numbing relief. They quietly and quickly scurried through the bunker, ducking into small enclosures when footsteps were heard and waiting for guards to pass.

This underground bunker was like a maze, but following his instinct, Steve was able to find access out of the bunker and above ground. There was a sense of relief for the light. It took their eyes a few moments to adjust. That adjustment time was their downfall.

Once they managed to step foot above ground, they were attacked by a group of men. The men surrounded them, and try as he might, Steve tried to protect her. Two men went after the girl and the remaining five tangled with Steve. The adrenaline helped her fight, but the sight of the Steve being cold cocked by the butt of a gun caused her to lose her concentration. The next thing she knew was the pain of being hit over the head and darkness.


	2. Chapter 2: The Rescue

He awoke to the noise of gun fire. He was groggy and incredibly uncomfortable. As he lay on the ground, he realized he was in the back of a moving vehicle. Upon reviewing his surroundings, he realized he was in the back of a truck with a canvas top. His hands and feet were tied together and his head was throbbing. He gingerly touched the back of his head and felt a goose egg of a bump. He had definitely been hit over the head, probably with the butt of a gun.

He continued to hear the gunshots and felt the vehicle come to a sudden stop. He could hear the doors to the vehicle open and yelling. It was at that moment that the back flap of the vehicle was lifted and there was the face of his partner, "Danny?"

Relief washed over Steve, as Danny yelled, "He's over here."

Danny crawled up into the back of the vehicle and helped Steve sit up. Steve was woozy from the hit to his head and Danny steadied him, "We got you buddy. We are going to get you out of here."

Danny focused on the rope around Steve's hands, working to undo it. Eventually, he pulled out a knife and sliced the rope off Steve's wrists. As he moved onto cutting the rope off of Steve's legs, Steve remembered everything, "Danny, there's a girl."

Danny looked at him and helped him towards the flap of the truck bed, and he hollered at Joe, "Tell Chin to look for a girl."

Joe helped Danny lift Steve out of the truck. As they helped him stand up, he stopped them, "Guys, I'm fine. We need to find the girl. She's in bad shape. We have to get her out of here."

"Son we gotta go, Chin found the girl and he is carrying her back to Tangerine." He started walking away from the truck, Steve and Danny following him. "We need to get out of here quickly, I don't know how much longer we will be safe."

Joe led the pack, as Danny followed on Steve's six, keeping a lookout for any possible problems. Joe looked back to Steve as they jogged through the rest of the jungle towards the open field, "How you doing, son?"

"I've been through worse." He yelled back, "Thanks guys."

Joe, Danny, and Steve approach the helicopter and Steve settled into a seat. As Danny looked over Steve's wrists, Chin approached the chopper with the woman in his arms, Gutches keeping guard behind them. Joe turned to help Chin lift the unconscious girl into the chopper, "Son of a bitch!"

All eyes turned to Joe. It didn't take Steve more than a moment to realize that Joe had known about the girl all along. Steve looked to the girl and back Joe, "He knew about her and I had no clue. Tell me everything."

It wasn't a request, it was a demand. Joe knew the day of reckoning had arrived, but now wasn't the time as shots started ringing out of the forest. Gutches and Chin jumped in, avoiding the girl lying on the floor of the chopper. Frank lifted the bird into the air, as Gutches and Chin returned fire.

As soon as the chopper was out of firing range, a sense of normalcy returned to the interior of the helicopter. Danny had turned his attention to the young woman, asking Steve "How bad is she injured?"

"He wailed on her, Danny. I think she has some broken ribs, but other than that, I don't know." He paused, "She needs a doctor."

"We can't get medical attention here. We have humanitarian supplies on the plane. We'll patch her up as best as we can until we get stateside." Answered Gutches. Steve started to protest but Joe spoke up, "He's right son. WoFat is too well connected. It isn't safe for any of us to be here any longer."

Danny handed Steve a bottle of water, "Drink up buddy, you're probably dehydrated."

"Thanks Danny." The rest of the chopper ride was silent until they landed near their plane.


	3. Chapter 3: The Plane Ride

As the chopper landed on the airstrip, Kono ran to the team. Steve emerged from the chopper, only to be enveloped into Kono's arms, "Boss, it's so good to see you."

"Thanks Kono" he smiled a genuine and goofy smile, "I'm pretty happy to see you all too."

As everyone exited the chopper they thanked Frank profusely. As much as he enjoyed this crazy team, he knew how dangerous it was for them to be here, and he would feel much better the sooner they left. He helped escort them to their plane and wished them a safe trip home.

Chin carried the young girl onboard and the rest of the team followed suit. Danny forced Steve to sit down and let him bandage his wrists while Chin and Kono worked on the girl. As Danny cleaned the wounds on Steve's wrists, Joe sat down to explain.

Steve looked to Joe, his glare icy, "Tell me everything Joe."

"Your mother wasn't killed by a drunk driver. The Yakuza were getting too close to her, so we had to make her disappear. We knew that if the whole family went into hiding, they would never stop looking for Doris. So we had to make it look like she had been killed."

Steve interrupted, "Did my dad know?"

"No," Joe shook his head. "He didn't know your mother was an agent. He only knew her as a school teacher. So when the Yakuza found Doris, it was time to make a move.

"We rigged the car to explode and for her to be moved out of Hawaii. We moved her to Kansas because no one would expect her to go there and the CIA needed someone to go undercover with the mafia in Kansas City. Your mom hired on as an Argentinian bookkeeper named Claudia Santiago. The only problem was, a month into the stint your mother realized she was pregnant with Azucena.

"That posed a major problem; the CIA wasn't okay with bringing a child into the operation. However, your mother wasn't going to give up her child. So Azucena was born and she was born with her cover in place. Doris raised her speaking Spanish and English; she taught her everything about Argentinian culture. She raised her on traditional Argentinian food. This way no one would ever know she wasn't Argentinian."

Joe paused, this was going to be the hard part. "When Azucena was 8 years old she went to a slumber party. Claudia was killed in a house fire that night. The fire looked to be from electrical damage, but we believe it was set by the Mob. We think they figured out she was feeding information to us. They won't act against women and children, but Claudia was fair game if she was informing on them.

"She awoke the next morning to the news that her mother had been killed. She was placed as a ward of the state in foster care."

"You put her in foster care?" exploded Steve. "Have you heard the stories of the system? Jesus Christ Joe!"

"She was perfectly safe. We got her a placement with an older couple. She was a former social worker and he was a factory worker. They raised her in a small town, away from the Mafia and any CIA connections. I checked in on her regularly until I knew she would be okay.

"When we get back, you can read her file." Joe paused, "Once she turned 18, the CIA stopped keeping tabs on her, but she's a good kid. She works hard, gets good grades, and is studying to be a nurse."

"How did WoFat find out about her?" Steve asked, his voice cold.

"I don't know." Joe paused, "We did everything we could to keep her hidden away from any of Doris' past enemies."

"Did her foster family know anything of the ties to the CIA and mob?"

"No, nothing at all."

"This doesn't make sense, Joe." Steve argued, rubbing his hands over his face in frustration.

"I'm just as puzzled as you, Son."

Chin approached the three men as Kono continued to wipe the blood and dirt from Azucena's face. Steve looked up, "How is she?"

"She's in bad shape. There are at least four broken ribs, possibly five. Her wrists are torn to hell. I don't know if her eye socket is fractured, but she won't be able to see out of one eye for quite a while. We have to get her to Malia right away." Chin was interrupted by Kono, "Guy's she waking up!"

Steve was out of his seat before anyone else. He squatted down over the section of netting seats she was stretched out on. Kono stood back to give Steve room to be next to her as she woke. Her left eye was swollen shut from all the abuse suffered at the hands of WoFat. Her right eye, although swollen and blackened, was slowly opening.

Her body hurt; every cell of her being cried out in pain. She could hear the voices and feel the hands on her person. As she tried to open her eyes, she realized her sight was very limited. She saw his face. The man who had freed them was next to her. She tried to speak, but her busted up mouth was only able to mumble a few words, "¿Estamos seguros?

It took Steve a moment to process and he realized she was asking if they were safe in Spanish. It had been a few years since he had last utilized his Spanish skills and they were very basic, "Si, si, estamos seguros."

"¿Donde estamos?"

Before Steve could respond, he could feel Joe's presence over his shoulder. He watched the young woman's face when she looked at Joe. It took her only a second before she recognized him, "Joe?"

"Hey darlin', it's been a while."

She immediately switched to English, but it was noticeable that the pain from her jaw was causing her words to be garbled and she was struggling to catch her breath. "Who was he?"

"He's a really bad man."

"No shit." She wheezed, his answer was ridiculous after everything she had endured. Steve smirked at her sarcasm and offered, "His name is WoFat. He's an international arms dealer that apparently thinks you and I have information he wants."

She took in his words and her hands started to reach for purchase on the netting she was laying on. Her right hand reached up for her to help pull herself up with the netting around her. As she tried to lift herself off the row of seats to a sitting position; the pain radiated through her body. Steve gently, but forcefully stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder, "Your ribs are either cracked or fractured. Sitting up is one of the worst things you can do at the moment."

Frustration and pain painted her face as she admitted defeat on sitting upright. Her word were mangled, but she was still understandable, "He called me little sister and said you were my brother. This doesn't make sense."

She grimaced, as the pain from her ribs soared through her body. Before anyone could respond she asked, "What is Shelbourne?"

"I'm not sure." Steve answered as he watched the pain flash across her face with each question. He decided to take over the questioning, "He beat you up pretty badly. I'm trained in field medicine and it is going to be a few hours before we can get you to a hospital. Can I check over your injuries?"

She eyed him suspiciously, but was in so much pain she acquiesced to his request, "Ok."

He could see the caution in her face, so he talked about what he was going to do before he did it. He started with her hands; her wrists were lacerated from the chains that held her hands above her head.

"Your wrists are pretty cut up from the chains." He looked to Kono. She had sat down by Auzcena's feet on the netting with the first aid kit. "This is Kono, she is on my team."

Kono handed him a small basin and some peroxide. As he took them from her, she gathered gauze and antibiotic ointment to have ready for him. Azucena looked at the woman and tried to smile, but it caused her face great pain, "Nice to meet you."

"You too." Kono smiled to her. Joe was standing behind Steve, towering over him as he worked. Steve prepared to pour the peroxide on the open wounds, "This is going to hurt."

She braced herself for the inevitable sting. The cool liquid poured over her skin and bubbled upon contact with the open wound. Natural instinct caused her to suck in air quickly, which resulted in agonizing pain radiating from her ribs. "Aye, Díos mió!"

Joe took this moment to try and distract her, "Azucena, how did WoFat get you?"

"I was at the campus library until about 11 on Tuesday night, preparing for an exam." She paused, watching Steve's hands quickly apply medicine to the wound on her left wrist and wrap it in white gauze. Joe turned and hollered at Danny, "Danny, can you grab a bottle of water?"

There was an affirmation heard in the distance and Joe turned back to the young woman, she continued with her story, "I rode my bike back to my apartment. I walked inside and locked the door. As I walked into the kitchen, three men came at me and I just remember waking up in a cell with a terrible headache."

Joe uncapped the bottle of water and handed it to Steve. Steve looked to Azucena, "I'm going to lift your head and try to not bump your mouth. Small sips, okay?"

There was the slightest of nods coming from her head and he gently cradled the back of her head. He held the bottle of water to her mouth and poured a small amount. The cool water on her parched throat was refreshing. Steve gave her three sips before handing the bottle back to Joe and concentrating on her other wrist.

"When was your last tetanus shot?" Steve asked, as he poured the peroxide, hoping to have her focus on something else. She squirmed from the burn of the peroxide, "Valentine's Day, three years ago."

"Memorable day." Supplied Joe.

"Bonfire party; night hiking and barbed wire fences don't mix." She lied.

"Jack allowed that?" inquired Joe.

"Kind of." Azucena mumbled as Steve laughed to himself. Joe looked at her for more of the story, "It was Valentine's Day Dance and instead of going to the after party, a bunch of us ended up on the O'Crowley's property for a bonfire."

"Coed, I suppose?" Offered Joe. Steve cringed, as Joe sounded like a parent the longer he talked to Azucena.

"Does it matter?" countered Azucena, annoyance in her garbled words. Steve had finished with her wrists. Working to relieve some of the tension of the conversation, Steve looked to her face. "Your right eye is swollen shut. We can't assess the damage until the swelling goes down. I'm going to put some butterfly bandages above your left eye. There's a gash on your cheek as well, so that's going to get butterfly bandages also."

"Can I get more water before we do that?" she inquired, politely.

"Of course." Answered Steve, as Joe held the water bottle out for him. Again, Steve gently lifted her head and poured the water into her mouth a few times. After a few drinks, he handed the bottle back to Joe and wet down some cotton balls with the peroxide. As he started to approach Azucena's face with the cotton balls, he offered up a question, "Until WoFat kidnapped you, had you ever seen him before?"

"I had plenty of time to think about that." She responded, as she cringed from the burn of the peroxide. "I think he was at the bar for an after-hours party."

"The bar?" questioned Joe.

"I work as cook in a restaurant. Sometimes the owner has after-hours parties. I think I remember seeing him at one of those parties."

"Did he talk to you?" asked Steve.

"No, I don't wait tables there." She flinched as she answered; the pain was starting to weigh on her.

Steve's hand moved to her shirt, but her hands were quicker and she covered her stomach. Steve realized he had startled her and hadn't told her what he was going to do. He pulled his hands back and Joe decided to speak up at that moment, "I'm going to find you both some food."

Steve looked to the young woman, "I think your ribs are either broken or cracked. I need to determine if we need to tape them. It's not the ideal procedure, but depending on how bad they are injured it will give you some pain relief."

He watched her weigh this information in her head. She wasn't a trusting person, but Steve surmised after being kidnapped and beaten he probably wouldn't be trusting with a bunch of strangers either.

She looked him in the eye and nodded her head once, sliding her hands away from her stomach. She was wearing a long sleeve shirt. His hands gently worked the shirt up to her bra line.

Her torso was black and blue. WoFat has inflicted more damage than he thought and he could see why she was having difficulty breathing, two ribs on her right side were definitely broken. He gingerly felt along her abdomen and sides and he could see the immense pain he was causing her.

"I hate to do this because it is going to cause you pain, but we need to tape these ribs." He offered, "Once we do that, it will give you a little relief. Not a lot, but some."

He looked to Kono, "How much tape is in that first aid kit?"

"Not enough, Boss." She frowned, "But there is a vial of Demerol."

"That will work too." He said, reaching for the vial and the syringe.

"No." responded Azucena. Steve looked at the young woman, confused "We won't make it to a hospital for another 8 hours and I don't have enough tape to tape your ribs."

"That's fine." She answered, as she gingerly pulled her shirt down to cover her stomach. "I can wait."

Steve looked at her, "You do realize I said 8 hours and that pain isn't going to go away."

"I understand."

"You don't have to be brave in front of me and my team."

"I know, but in this instance, I'll wait. Unless there is some ibuprofen in that kit?" Azucena asked, looking at Kono. Joe had returned with bananas for Kono, Steve and Azucena. He gestured to Steve and Azucena "I figured these would be soft enough for your mouths."

Kono found the pain reliever pills in the kit and handed the bottle to Steve. He peeled the banana and handed it to Azucena, "Eat the banana first and then the pills; you don't want that on an empty stomach."

Kono smirked to herself, Steve looked to her, "What was that all about?"

"It's just funny coming from you." She quipped. Her boss never slowed down, only when he was forced to. He rarely took medicine and it took an act of God to get the man to take a sick day.

Joe interrupted, "I'm going to call Jack and let him know you are safe."

"You can't," she responded somberly, "he passed four months ago."

Shock crossed Joe's face, "What happened?"

"Heart attack." She answered, her eyes becoming a little misty. "We tried to call you, but we couldn't find your number. The whole town turned out for the funeral. Everyone loved Jack."

"Yeah, he was a good man." Joe paused, realizing that a really wonderful man was no longer on the planet. "The diner still open?"

"Yeah, about six months before he passed, he sold it to Mr. Mosely, the grocer. Said he was ready for the retired life of fishing and piddling around his garden."

"Good for him."

Steve handed the pain pills to Azucena. He gently held Azucena's head as she downed the pills with water. When she finished them, he laid her head back on the netting. "Other than waiting for those to provide some pain relief, is there anything you need?"

"It's freezing in here." She paused, "Is there a blanket or something."

Danny appeared behind Steve, with a blanket. He handed it to Steve and he gently laid it over her stretched out body. He hadn't realized before, but she was almost as tall as he was, just a few inches shorter. Danny noticed it too, "Looks like we need one more blanket."

He returned quickly and helped Steve place it on the girl. As Steve stepped back from placing the blanket on her, she asked, "How bad are you hurt?"

"My wrists are tore up, but they are bandaged. Other than that, I'm fine."

"There was a gunshot." She remembered, a grimace crossing her face.

"Yeah, he killed a friend of ours."

"I'm so sorry." She quickly supplied, Steve could see the genuine sadness on her face. He sat down on the floor of the plane near her head and talked with her. The others dispersing to give them some semblance of privacy.

"It was because of our friend, Jenna, I was able to get us free." He smiled sadly, "Before they shot her, she gave me a pin in case we might need it later. It came in handy."

"It's not my business, but you talk about a team." She closed her good eye in concentration. The pain was really hitting her, but she powered through, "I don't understand what you are and why did this Fat guy grab you?"

Steve smiled, leaning back on his hands "His name is WoFat and you have every right to ask these questions. My name is Steve McGarrett and I run a police task force in Hawaii called Five-O. The people that are on this plane are on my team, with the exception of Joe and the two guys flying the plane. They found out that Jenna and I were in trouble and came to our rescue."

She mulled over the information, "WoFat, he's still out there?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Things went sideways and he got away."

"Do you think he will come after us again?"

Steve knew the answer to this and wanted nothing more than to tell her no, but knew it wasn't the truth. "He thinks we have information and I know he will do anything to get that information. So yes, I think he will come after us again."

She contemplated his response and moved onto her next question. "I realize I'm being quite nosy, but I don't understand any of this. How do you know Joe?"

"Your questions are just fine; I'll let you know if there is something I can't answer." He smiled, he liked her. She was straight forward, didn't hide the fact that she wanted answers, but she was polite. "I'm just surprised you jumped to Joe from the fact that WoFat is still out there."

"There isn't really anything I can do to fix that at this moment. Whatever's going to happen will happen and I'll have to deal with it when it does. I can't live my life in constant fear that he is going to get me." She paused, "That and I'm relatively safe right now."

Steve nodded, her logic was sound. She was ridiculously calm for someone who had just been kidnapped and beaten. He decided it was best to follow her line of questioning. "Joe has been a friend of my family's for a very long time. He was also my training officer in BUDS."

"BUDS?"

"Basic Underwater Demolition, it's the training one takes to become a SEAL."

She tried to raise her eyebrows, but they wouldn't cooperate. It only caused her pain, "Impressive."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I was trampled by a stampede of cattle." She replied, with a sense of humor sliding into her words. She fought against the pain, she wanted answers. She wanted to know why she was taken. "So what does this WoFat want exactly? I don't understand this word, 'Shelborne.' And what's up with him calling me 'Little Sister' and why does he think we are siblings?"

He could see the wheels turning in her head. She was trying to pull all the pieces into place, but things weren't fitting correctly. Her world had been turned upside down. His had too, but he was almost used to the constant changes in his life. However, the thought of another sister was still overwhelming.

Steve patiently thought about how to approach the answers to these questions. He decided it was best to just be as honest as possible with her. "I don't know who or what Shelborne is. As I told him, I found the word printed on a map in my parent's house after my father died. I tried to research it, but I couldn't find anything about it."

He leaned forward, pulling his knees up in front of himself, resting his arms across the tops of his kneecaps, "When you were carried onto the helicopter, Joe immediately recognized you. Before you woke up, he informed me that my mother hadn't really been killed in a car accident, but was in fact a CIA agent and her cover had been blown. They had to get her out of Hawaii and they moved her to Kansas. Apparently, no one knew but she was pregnant with you at the time. Basically everything WoFat told us when he had us, Joe confirmed. Joe said that once Doris passed, the CIA kept track of you until you turned 18."

"Doris?" she questioned.

"That was my mother's name, or the name she went by when she was raising me." Steve supplied. He watched her mull over the information he had shared. He didn't want to rush her, but he was curious what her thoughts were. "You're thinking pretty loudly."

"I'm sorry, you're being so polite and answering all my questions very patiently. I have so many questions, but the top one, which is the least important, is what town member was the CIA agent keeping tabs on me."

Steve laughed, he liked her. She was funny.

"You have to understand, I grew up in a small town where everybody knew everybody's business. Jack always told me, 'Don't worry if you don't know what you're doing, someone in this town will tell you what you're doing.'

"Now I wonder, whose job was it to know everything I did?" She paused, pondering things a little further, "I also find it creepy. And I kind of what to read this file; see how accurate it is, ya know?"

"Valid points." Steve smiled, and then offered, "If you would like confirmation that we truly are siblings, I can have my ME run our DNA against each other to see if Joe and WoFat are telling the truth."

"I am guessing you are as skeptical as I am. Does that seem like a fair assessment?"

"There are things about you that are very familiar. I see my grandmother's hair color, my father's eyes and my sister's nose, but I would like confirmation." He conceded.

"I remember that my mother was tall, like you. However, I was little so every adult was tall in my world. I don't see the familiar traits but my memory of her is hazy, so I don't think it is a good idea to rely on my memory. I'm okay with a DNA test. I'm assuming it's a check swab?"'

"Yeah, it will be painless. I'll have Max swab us as soon as we touch down." He was relieved she was open to this idea. He wanted answers, just like she did. The proof was sitting in front of him, but he wanted absolute certainty.

"The floor of this airplane cannot be comfortable. You were just strung up and held prisoner for, I don't know how long. You don't have to sit here and entertain me." She offered, he had already done so much for her. She didn't want to be a burden.

"I'll take you up on that offer. I'm going to go catch up with my team and then grab some shut eye. Your ribs are in pretty rough shape, so I would suggest you just rest here. If you need anything, just holler and someone will be more than happy to help you. Sound good?"

"Yeah, thanks." She tried to smile at him, but she was certain it probably looked terrifying and it caused her plenty of pain. She watched him stand up and wander over to the shorter man with the longer blond hair. She let her mind wander back to Silver Pond and the people of the town.

She knew everyone in town. Whether they ate at the diner or not, in a small farming community, everyone knew everyone. You helped each other harvest their fields or raise barns. You knew when people were getting divorced or having a baby before it was announced in the town paper. To know that there was a person whose sole job it was to watch her and report on her unnerved her. It also made her wonder if everything was in that file, specifically the Valentine's day three years ago.

 **Little self conscious, as I have never written fanfiction before. Please feel free to drop a note and let me know if you like it so far.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Plane Ride II

**I'm not very happy with the second part of this chapter. Joe is a hard character for me to write. Hope you are enjoying it.**

Steve stood up and wandered over to the empty seat next to Danny. He needed to clear his head and Joe was only complicating his life at this moment. Danny was rational; Danny would be a good voice of reason.

"Hey babe, how you doin' with all this?" Danny's hand gesturing to everything, but mainly in the direction of Azucena.

"I don't know what to think Danno. I go to help Jenna get her fiancé out of the hands of WoFat. Her fiancé turns out to have been dead, Jenna gets killed, I find out that I have a sister I didn't know anything about, and my mother was an undercover CIA agent." He pauses and leans on his knees, running his hands over his face, "It's too much to take in."

Danny claps his hands on Steve's shoulder, it was as much comfort as he could provide to his partner. "Losing Jenna is terrible. She was a good person. Her double crossing us for WoFat sucks, but when there is a chance to get the love of your life back, everything seems worth it."

"Yeah, I can't fault her for that decision." Steve responded, "I'm not certain how I would have reacted if I were in her shoes."

"You, my friend, would have found WoFat and burnt everything to the ground to get back someone you loved. However, you have had more training than Jenna. She was stuck in a really crappy spot. I don't doubt her desire to help us."

Steve sat back up and leaned against the back of the seat, Danny gestured his head towards Azucena, "What's she like?"

Steve looked at the form of the young woman he had just witness be beaten and tortured. He knew how painful broken ribs could be; add to that the beating she had taken. She must in agony, using only ibuprofen to combat the pain. "She's tough, Danny."

"So she's like you, ridiculously reckless and stubborn?"

"No, more like resourceful and stubborn. Most people wouldn't have been able to stand up after the beating she took from WoFat. Once she got her bearings, she ran through that bunker with me. She kept up; she's a fighter." He said, smiling to himself. Danny could hear the pride in his voice when he started to share, "There was one point when WoFat started to come at her, he was going to hurt her pretty severely; she pulled her legs up and kicked him right in the face. Broke his nose. She's a tough kid."

"Great, now we have two adrenaline junkies to look after." Danny said, teasing in his voice.

"I don't think she's an adrenaline junkie."

"She's pretty calm for someone who just suffered torture at the hands of a crazy man."

"Yeah, I agree." Steve said, watching her breathing from where he was sitting. If he had to guess, it appeared she had fallen asleep. He worried about a concussion, but with all the pain she was experiencing, that was probably the least of her concerns. Sleep would be good for her; it would make the plane ride go faster.

"You know that isn't normal, right?" Danny countered, watching Steve observe the girl. "Most normal people would be in hysterics after everything that happened to her."

"I know Danny." Steve almost sounded sad.

"Doris and the CIA, didn't see that one coming."

"I don't even know what to think on that one. I mean, apparently my dad didn't even know."

"Joe knew everything."

"Makes me wonder what else he knows that I don't."

"Just be careful."

"Thanks man." Steve answered as he leaned his head back against the netting. He closed his eyes, talking with Danny helped. He hadn't figured anything out, but it was nice to have a sounding board. As much as Danno ranted and rambled, he was a good sounding board and friend.

 _She ran as fast and as hard as she could. She could hear the slap of her bare feet against the concrete, the thumping of her heart in her ears, and she could feel the fire in her lungs. Every part of her hurt, but she could still hear him. A flash of WoFat's smirking face clouded her thoughts. She had broken his nose. Hopefully it had slowed him down enough that she had a good head start. He was close, she could hear his laugh; it made her skin crawl._

 _The corridor was coming to a T. She was going to have to decide to turn left or right. She had no idea where she was going, either way could be a dead end or a break for freedom. Glancing over her shoulder; she couldn't see anyone but she could hear him. It was almost a sing-song voice "A-zu-ce-na!"_

 _Left, she turned left, and in that instance, she ran smack into Woods!_

"Aaaaaahhhhh!" she screamed out, jolting awake from the nightmare that haunted her. Her one good eye flew open, her heart thumping out of her chest, her skin glistening in sweat and the pain from trying to sit up overcoming her entire being. She fell back against the netting, trying to gather her wits about her and find her bearings. She looked up and saw the metallic insides of a structure. In that moment, she remembered the airplane and the people. Underneath the blanket, she placed her hand on her chest and made herself focus on her breathing.

Joe was out of his seat in an instant. The rest of the team scrambling to help the woman, but Joe motioning them to stay put. He knew this young woman and he hoped he could help her calm down.

Steve watched Joe, his careful approach. He assumed it was how Danny approached him during a nightmare when a mission had gone sideways. Had Joe known Azucena only after Claudia passed away or had he watched this girl grow up her entire life? He filed that away for a future discussion with Joe.

Joe calmly approached Azucena, he observed her placing her hand on her chest; focusing herself to calm down. He'd taught Steve combat breathing, he never taught her how to do this. He was curious where she picked it up.

"Hey Darlin, you doing okay?" his voice soft.

She nodded slightly, "I'm fine."

"Bad dream?"

"I'm good." She wheezed, trying to change the subject, "How have you been? I think the last time I saw you was around July."

She was redirecting the conversation, he played along with her. "July sounds about right."

"You knew my mother." She rasped out.

"Yes, I knew Claudia."

"Were you around before Jack and Clara?" her breathing was ragged and heavy, "I don't remember you."

"No, I was working for the Navy; I was training your brother at the time."

"Then why did you find me after she passed?"

"Your mother was a good friend of mine. I wanted to make sure that you were placed in a good home with good people."

"Why didn't you tell me that you knew her?"

"I can't talk about that."

"Why didn't you tell me I have a brother?"

"I can't talk about that either."

"Christ Joe, is there anything you can talk about?" Frustration seeping into her words. She had just recently found out that most of her life had been based on a lie, her body hurt, and if she was being completely honest with herself, she hadn't showered in days and it was driving her mad.

"Not much more than what you found out earlier today."

"If she was CIA, and you knew she was CIA, that means you had to be CIA as well."

"I can neither confirm or deny that question." He said, knowing that answer was going to irritate her as well. "If I could tell you anything kid, I would. However, there is a lot of stuff in my life I can't talk about."

"Yet, you can get your hands on a file the CIA kept on me from the age of 8 to 18?" Her one good eye drilling into him.

"I have connections."

"I'm done with this conversation Joe." She answered flatly, frustration and fatigue overtaking her. She had always thought Joe was a little different; now he was just being dodgy and that didn't sit well with her. Joe retreated back to his seat, a little unsure of himself.

Sharing too much could reveal things he wasn't supposed to know about her. With her he could pull the "I'm not at liberty to say" but he couldn't pull that as often with Steve. Steve required a little finesse, a little evasiveness and just the right amount of truth sprinkled in. If Steve asked, he could say SAD and that would explain most things. This was going to be a tight rope to walk with the both of them.


	5. The Unknown, Chapter 5: The Hospital

**In this alternate world of Hawaii Five-0, Chin and Malia are married and she doesn't die. I like her character too much right now. I borrowed the idea of using the attending's locker room from another writer, bgharison. I really love your stories and it makes it so much easier when they can just get cleaned up at the hospital. Hope you aren't offended.**

After the plane landed on Oahu, everyone went their own ways. Gutches and the members of Seal Team 9 nonchalantly departed the group dressed as civilians, all their tac gear stowed in bags.

Joe quietly and quickly disappeared to no one's surprise as they discussed the next step in their plans. Steve and Chin helped Azucena into the backseat of a car headed for the hospital. Danny drove the four of them; while Kono went in search of food for everyone. She knew the wait at the hospital was going to take some time, and food was going to help calm some of the tension that would inevitably arise.

As Steve helped Azucena out of the car, something caused her to double over and gasp for air.

"Azucena?" Steve panicked, he tried to help her straighten up, but then he heard the gasping. His fear was suddenly realized, one of her broken ribs had punctured a lung. Throwing caution to the wind, he scooped her up in his arms and rushed through the emergency doors of the hospital.

Rushing into the hospital, he ran towards the nurse's station. Multiple orderlies and nurses approaching him, "Help! She has a collapsed lung."

Malia approached the chaos while the nurses and orderlies had Azucena placed on a gurney. The gurney was pushed into Trauma Room 3 and Steve was told he couldn't enter. He stood outside the room, watching them work to save his sister through the glass window.

In that moment, it finally hit him. He could lose another family member. As he had helped her on the plane, he had emotionally kept his distance. However, the longer he had talked to her; he realized she was a lot like him and Mary.

He found himself wanting to know more about her and her upbringing with their mother. He also wanted to know about Jack and his wife. He could read all of this in the report Joe was going to pull, but he wanted to hear her tell it. He wanted to get to know his sister. It felt weird to hear himself think this, but it was now more than just him and Mary. It was Steve, Mary and Azucena.

Mary! How was he going to tell Mary about their mother's lies and the fact that they had a sister? The fact that their mother hadn't died in the car accident. Was Mary going to hold that against Azucena? He was afraid of the amount of drama that might arise from this. Mary could be dramatic and at times difficult. He knew her bad behavior presented itself when she felt threatened. How was she doing to deal with this?

He watched the orderlies cut her clothes off of her as Malia cut a hole in her chest and another doctor intubated her. He could hear Malia above the den of chaos, "Get her to OR 3 Stat!"

The orderlies threw a sheet over her naked body and rushed her out the door, past Steve. Malia ran after them, yelling to Steve as she ran, "I will keep you updated. Please get checked out and cleaned up."

Danny and Chin approached Steve from behind. Danny clamping a hand on Steve's shoulder, "There is nothing you can do for her right now. So let's do what Malia says and get you checked out."

"I'm fine Danny!" Steve growled, running his hand over his face. His team knew that was a sure sign of frustration. Chin spoke up, "You were held hostage for a few days. You have lacerations that need a professional's review. Let's do what Malia said because honestly, I don't want to come home to a crabby wife after being gone for three days."

Steve caved since Chin phrased his request in this manner. They walked to the nurse's station, all the nurses knew Five-0 on sight. The duty nurse looked up and questioned, "Your turn this time, Commander?"

"I'm sure it's nothing." He offered.

"Better to be safe than sorry." Countered the nurse, leading him to one of the exam rooms.

Steve's wrist lacerations were cleaned and rewrapped. The doctor prescribed a bag of IV fluids and then released him to the waiting room, to await on word of Azucena.

Kono arrived with sandwiches and waters for the group. They enjoyed the food and the relief that they were back on their island and not tromping through the God forsaken jungles of North Korea. Danny was slightly irritated to find himself being thankful to be back in Hawaii, as he despised this pineapple infested hellhole.

Joe turned up a hour and a half into the wait of the operation. He handed Steve a folder, "This file is everything the CIA has on your sister. If you want, I can request her file from Social Services."

"Thanks Joe." Replied Steve, as Joe took a seat next to him. Steve opened the file and began to read everything the CIA knew of his sister.

The file started after the death of Claudia and detailed everything about Jack and Clara, Azucena's grades, and after school activities. She apparently excelled in science and English, but it was readily apparent that math was not her favorite subject. She was involved in ballet and tap until she was 16. It later turned into cross country running and track. She spent her summers working at the family diner Jack and Clara ran, and helping with neighbor's harvests (like the rest of the town). She attended church services with Jack and Clara every Sunday.

It was all stuff a typical teenager would do. It appeared that she had the childhood neither he nor Mary were able to have. He almost wondered if it was a blessing that Claudia passed in a fire. If she hadn't, would they be wrapped up with the Mob or on the run for their lives? He found peace in the fact that Jack and Clara gave her the best childhood someone could have after losing a parent.

At that moment Malia walked into the waiting room, Steve was on his feet in an instant, "How is she?"

"She's in pretty bad shape." Answered Malia, "We have her intubated and sedated at the moment. One of her ribs tore her lung and caused it to collapse. She has three broken ribs and two cracked ribs. She's covered in bruises; the lacerations on her wrists are quite severe. We are treating her with antibiotics and painkillers. She has a bruised kidney, so she's going to be passing blood for a few days. Her right eye is extremely swollen, we won't be able to see how severe the damage to her sight is until the inflammation goes down. However, her facial bones are not fractured or broken, so that is good. She's severely dehydrated and has spiked a fever. We are pushing fluids quite heavily and antibiotics."

"What kind of recovery are we looking at?" asked Steve.

"The ribs and lungs will take about 6 weeks to heal, but we want to watch for pneumonia. The kidney should heal in 3 weeks. Mentally, surviving an assault of this magnitude will be hard to come back from. She's going to need support."

Joe spoke up, "We will make sure she has a support system."

"Can we see her?" asked Steve.

"Of course," responded Malia, hesitating. "I don't know the circumstances of her assault, but when a patient is intubated, we have to restrain them. Human nature is to immediately pull out the tube, so her hands are restrained."

"Dr. Waincroft, I don't think she's going to handle that very well." Supplied Joe.

"We will have to address issues as they arise, but I can't remove the restraints until the tube is removed." She answered as they walked down the hallway towards the ICU.

The glass doors to Azucena's room were open and the patient was visible at the nurse's station. Everyone could see the massive amounts of gauze covering her right eye. Her wrists were wrapped in clean gauze as well, and the straps of the restraints lay softly on the gauze.

Steve stopped outside the door. The team stopped behind him. Joe stood to Steve's left and exhaled, "Jesus."

"She should wake up within the next two hours. We are going to keep her on some heavy duty painkillers for the next 24 to 48 hours. By then, we hope to be able to remove the intubation tube and move her out of the ICU."

Steve switched into action mode, "Danny, Chin, Kono go home to your families and get some rest. Joe, I'm sure you have something you need to take care of; I'll sit the night with her. We regroup tomorrow morning, here at 9:00. WoFat is still out there. She and I are still targets, so she has round the clock security from our team or Joe. Everyone ok with that?"

"Yeah boss." Answered Kono.

"What do you need? I'll swing by your place tonight and bring it back to you." supplied Danny.

"No Danny, go spend time with Gracie. Just stop by my place in the morning and bring me new clothes, yeah?"

Malia interrupted, "In the meantime, I'll get you shower privileges in the attending's locker room and a set of scrubs."

"Thanks, but" before Steve could finish saying anything, Joe interrupted, "Go get cleaned up son. I'll sit with her and when you are done, I'll head out for the evening."

Steve capitulated and followed Malia to the locker room. He looked at her, "Malia, thanks for everything."

"It's my job." She responded, "She appears to be a tough kid; she'll pull through this."

Steve stood in the shower and let the hot water pour over his sore, grimy body. It has been a long 72 hours and he was exhausted. At least this way he would feel clean and be able to relax a little. He donned the clean scrubs Malia had left for him and walked back down to Azucena's room. Joe was sitting on her left side in a chair facing her. Steve could hear the old man talking to the girl, "Your mother would have been so proud of the person you have become."

When Joe heard Steve approach he turned to him, "Feeling more human, son?"

"Yeah, it's amazing what a hot shower and clean clothes will do for a person."

Joe stood and readied himself to leave, "I'll be here at 9:00. Want me to bring you some Loco Moco for breakfast?"

"Thanks Joe, I'd appreciate it." Joe headed out for the night and Steve assumed sitting sentry at Azucena's bedside. He gently picked up her hand and said, "Estamos seguros."


	6. Chapter 6: Awake

He wasn't certain how long he had been asleep when her alarms started sounding. His eyes snapped open and he could see the pure desperation and terror in her eye as she tried to reach for the intubation tube, but found her hands restrained.

The panic and terror coursing through her body had caused her pulse and blood pressure to soar. Steve took her hand into his and tried to get her to focus on him, "Estamos seguros. Estás bien."

Her panic worsened when her room swarmed with nurses. She continued to fight against the restraints and the main nurse spoke loudly to her while they worked, "Azucena, you are in the hospital. You are safe. Don't fight the tube honey. It's giving you air to breath."

Steve stood at the foot of her bed and pulled his rudimentary Spanish skills from deep in his brain.

"¡Azucena, mirrame!" He commanded. This caught her attention as she continued to fight the restraints, "Estás segura."

"Respira lentamente y profundo." Her eyes were locked onto him and he mimed slow and deep breaths. She followed his directions as the nurses worked around him and administered an anti-anxiety medicine, along with more pain medication.

"Estás bien." He encouraged her as she started to calm down. She was fighting the painkiller and sedative, but had enough focus to gesture to her hands. He could read her like he could read Mary; she was terrified, pissed off and exhausted.

Steve continued to stand at the foot of her bed and explained, "You have a punctured lung. They fixed it, but you have to be intubated for a while. They had to restrain you because your natural instinct would be to pull it out."

She processed his words and gestured to her hands, her eye pleading with him to remove the restraints. The nurse looked to him, "You can sit back down now. The anti-anxiety medicine we gave her will cause her to be drowsy soon."

Steve thanked the nurse and took his seat next to her bed, her eye pleading with him. He treated her like he would treat Mary. He took her hand in his and gently ran his fingers over the back of it. He spoke to her in a soft and calming voice.

"You are okay. You are safe. The doctors have patched you up and I'm going to be here all night. The only people allowed in this room are the nurses, the doctor, my team and Joe. He can't get to you here. You are safe."

His words calmed her, but she gestured to him.

"Me?" he questioned. She nodded her head, ever so slightly.

"I'm just fine. The doctor's bandaged me up and I got a shower. I am just fine."

She looked at him and then back to his hand holding hers. He remembered how skittish she was to touch on the airplane. Gesturing to his hand holding her's, "Is this okay?"

Again, there was a slight nod yes, but he could see the pleading to remove the restraints. He continued to gently stroke her hand and tell her she was safe until she fell asleep again. When he was certain she was fully asleep, he stood up and walked to the nurse's station.

He was polite to the nurses, "She was held hostage and restrained. When she wakes up, can we undo one of the restraints and I will hold her hand the entire time she isn't restrained?"

"It will depend on how frantic she is when she wakes up." Offered the nurse, who was wavering on even saying that much.

Steve took that as a possibility and sat back down next to her. He gently took her hand in his, thinking that if she felt someone holding onto her, she might just feel safer.

Steve slept hard and only woke up when the nurses entered to change out medicine or silence a beeping machine. Azucena slept for five hours straight. It was at 6:30 when she came round and the restraints caused an issue.

Steve awoke with a crick in his neck. He forgot how uncomfortable it was to sleep in a hospital chair. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stood up. Stretching to his full height, he looked at the young woman who was his sister. The bruising had darkened further, making her injuries more severe looking.

He watched her for a few minutes before he noticed the flinching of her face and then she began to fuss about in her sleep. The heartrate monitor started to beat unmercilessly and her movements became more violent. Steve took her hand into his and started speaking to her and telling her she was safe.

The nurses descended on the room and silenced the beeping machine. It was at that moment her eyes flew open and she tried to sit up in the bed. The head nurse gently placed her hands to Azucena's shoulders and reminded her where she was and that she was safe. Tears streaked from her good eye. She was too weak to sit up, so it didn't take much for the nurse to keep her lying down.

Her panicked face tore at Steve's heart. The poor kid had no idea where she was and she was restrained and in pain. The nurses worked on her as Steve continued to hold her hand and talk to her.

"You're safe. He isn't here." He soothed, as he gently stroked her hand. It took her a few moments, but she found her bearings and calmed herself. Her heartrate and her breathing began to return to normal. Her eye darted between the restraints around her wrists and Steve's eyes. He could see that she was still terrified and he understood the restraints were providing most of the stress of the situation.

As the nurses left the room, Steve gestured to her to be quiet by lifting his finger to the front of his mouth. She eyed him with confusion, but tried to smile when she saw him reach down and unbuckle one of the restraints holding her right wrist into place. He could see the stress quickly fade from her body. He gently held her right hand in both of his; fearful that she would reach for the tube and pull it out. In that instant, he could see her whole body visibly relax.

"Doing better?" he asked quietly.

She nodded.

"I'm going to hold your hand while the restraints are off. We can't accidently pull out the tube or both of us will get in trouble." He could see her trying to smile at him, and he returned it with a smile of his own.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" She shrugged her shoulders and grimaced. Steve wasn't certain what that meant, but she didn't nod her head yes, so he took it as a good sign. Using her restrained hand, she pointed at her face. He looked at her perplexed and then remembered she was heavily drugged when she came around last night, "You have a punctured lung, so they had to intubate you."

She shook her head no, and tried to release her hand from his grip. She shimmied her fingers over the top of his wrist where a watch would normally rest. Steve looked at her, "You want to know what time it is? It's 6:40 in the morning."

She shook her head no again; she tapped his wrist with her fingers and then pointed to her face. It was a terrible game of charades that was frustrating her, but she wanted answers.

Steve watched her work hard to convey what she wanted to know. When she tapped on his wrist a second time and then pointed to her face, he thought he might have figured it out, "Do you want to know how long you'll be intubated?"

She gave a small nod, and tried to smile. He smiled to her, taking her hand back into his, "They think about 48 hours. Once the tube comes out, they can remove the restraints. They just don't want you to accidently pull out the tube."

She processed the information he shared. Then she finagled her hand out of his hand again; she tapped on the back side of his hand and then made a gesture with her hand like a duck moving its mouth. He watched her and when she settled her hand back into his, he offered his guess, "You want me to talk to you?"

She nodded, he questioned, "Anything specific?"

She freed her hand from his and pointed at him. "You want to know about me?"

She nodded, and placed her hand back into his. He smiled at her and tried to downplay himself, "I'm a pretty boring guy, but let's see what I can share that might make this a little less awkward for the both of us."

"We talked about my mom leaving when I was fifteen. Originally, we were told she had been killed in a drunk driving accident, but apparently that wasn't the case. I was actually under the impression that she had been killed by a car bomb planted by the Yakuza, but it wasn't until WoFat told us everything that I realize that wasn't exactly accurate."

She squeezed his hand slightly and he stopped talking. He loosened his grip and she turned his hand over. Using her finger she scribbled on his flattened hand. She attempted to spell out Yakuza on his hand but before she could finish spelling the name he figured out her inquiry. "The Yakuza are an organized crime syndicate out of Japan. They have a large presence in Hawaii."

She nodded and allowed him to continue, "After my mom died, my dad shipped me and my sister off to the mainland." He paused, perplexed on how to bring up the topic of Mary. "I have a younger sister, her name is Mary."

"I went to military school and then boot camp; while Mary lived in LA with our aunt. After graduating boot camp, I went into Naval Intelligence and eventually became a SEAL."

He was interrupted by the soft voice of a woman, "Best looking SEAL I ever met."

He was up and out of his chair in an instant at the sound of the voice, "Cath, what are you doing here?"

He pulled her into a hug and kissed her. When the kiss ended, he still had his arms wrapped around her waist, she offered, "Danny called me when they left to get you and Jenna; I got here as soon as I could. I tried calling you, but your phone isn't answering and I rang Danny when I got in this morning. He told me you would be here. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. WoFat took my phone, gonna have to get a new one. Danny didn't tell me that he reached out to you."

"I think he was terrified what he might find. He thought it best to tell me before he left. Hope that's okay."

"It's more than okay." He said, kissing her again. Catherine was the first to pull back and gestured with her head towards the woman lying in the hospital bed.

Azucena has been trying to avoid watching their display of affection, but it was a little difficult to move her head with a tube down her throat. She tried to stare off in the direction opposite of the two of them.

Steve laughed and then loosened his grip on Catherine's waist, took her hand into his and turned to face Azucena. Steve spoke up, "Azucena Santiago, this is Lieutenant Catherine Rollins."

Azucena lifted her hand from the bed and waved to the woman. Catherine responded back by waving, "It's nice to meet you."

"WoFat not only had Jenna and me, but he had Azucena as well."

"That's what Danny said, he also said she's your sister?" Catherine questioned. Azucena lifted her hand from the bed and held it horizontal, moving it from side to side. Steve laughed, he understood what she was saying. He answered for her, "We aren't sure. WoFat said we are but we are going to have Max run a DNA test, to confirm."

"That's some big news." Responded Catherine, she could see the excitement poorly hidden on Steve's face. She could see that he already believed the news and seemed happy about it. This was good for him, and that made her happy.

She looked from Steve to the woman resting in the bed, her eyelid becoming heavier and heavier. Steve squeezed Catherine's hand, gestured to the empty chair on the other side of the bed. Steve took the seat he had previously been sitting in and gently reached for the restraint to secure around Azucena's wrist.

Her eye was closed, but the second she heard the soft click of the restraint, her eye popped open. She started to panic, but Steve was quick enough to figure out what had set her off. He undid the restraint and took her hand into both of his, "It's okay, you're safe. He isn't here."

She looked at him, her breathing quick, and he softly reminded her "Estás segura."

He acted out the long, deep breathes that had worked the previous night and she mirrored his actions. Exhaustion quickly took over her system and she fell asleep. He waited until he knew she was really asleep before he ever so quietly clicked the restraint back into place.


	7. Chapter 7: Regrouping

**To the individuals that left the kind reviews, thank you so much! Writing this story is great fun, but it helps to have positive input from the people reading it. I hope you enjoy it.**

Steve gestured for him and Catherine to step outside Azucena's room. He wanted the young woman to get as much rest as possible and he also wanted to be able to talk freely with Catherine. The nurse sitting at the station outside Azucena's room looked up, "Commander, would you and your friend like some coffee?"

"That would be wonderful. Thank you." He answered the head nurse. It had been a long night for him. He didn't know how these nurses did everything. They helped the patients, their families and were constantly offering an endless supply of surprisingly good coffee. The nurse rose from her spot and headed off to their breakroom. He turned to Catherine but before he could say anything, she had her arms wrapped around him, "I'm so thankful you are safe."

"If it wasn't for Danny and the team, I'm not certain I would be here right now."

"Danny said something about Jenna double crossing you." She offered up.

"Yeah, WoFat told her that if she could offer me up to him, he would free her fiancé. Needless to say, when WoFat got his hands on me, he took us both as hostages. Her fiancé was dead and he actually shot and killed Jenna. It's all pretty messed up." He said, as he ran his hands over his face.

"How does she play into this?" Catherine asked, gesturing to Azucena with her head.

"WoFat's men grabbed her one evening when she came home from the campus library. I was taken into a room where they had chained her up. They chained me up the same way." He paused, as the nurse brought them their little white Styrofoam cups of coffee. They both politely thanked the nurse and when she was out of hearing distance, Steve continued with the story. "I think WoFat grabbed her to get information out of me. He introduced her as "our" little sister. Like he and I are related."

Steve sipped the coffee, "He asked her about 'Shelbourne' and every time she said she didn't know he beat on her. I mean Cath, it made me sick to watch."

"When she kept telling him she didn't know the word, he moved on to me. However, I think it was his way of torturing me. He knew beating on me wouldn't get him the answer he wanted. Every time he asked me about 'Shelbourne' and I gave a negative response, he wailed on her."

"Oh" Catherine responded. Steve continued the conversation, "Eventually I told him everything I knew but he didn't believe me and he continue to beat the poor kid. He turned away from her at one point and when he turned back around to attack her, she kicked him in the face, breaking his nose."

"Once he was out of the room, I was able to get us free of the chains. We made our way out of the bunker, but his men found us and outnumbered us. I remember waking up in the back of a truck and Danny finding me."

"Do I want to know where WoFat had you?" asked Catherine, knowing it was safer to asking this question then outright asking where he was held.

"No, it's best you don't know."

"Okay, what can I do to help?"

"Can you use your naval connections to see if there is any chatter out there about WoFat? I'm betting he went underground and we won't hear from him for a while, but I want to make sure."

"Of course." She answered.

"And" Steve followed up, pulling her closer towards himself as he held his coffee. "Can you stay at my place tonight? I'm going to have one of the team stay up here tonight with her."

"There's no place I'd rather stay." She answered; she leaned up into him and kissed him. Afterwards, he loosened his grip on her, as they were in a public setting.

She placed her hands on his chest, "I'm going to go get started on seeing what I can turn up. You want me to call Danny with anything I find?"

"Yeah, until I get a new phone. That's on my priority list for the day."

"Sounds good." She said, as she began to turn around and leave, "Hey, have you eaten yet today?"

"No, but Joe is bringing me Loco Moco when the team gets here around 9."

"Need anything before then?" she asked. He smiled at her and gestured to his coffee, "This will be just fine until then."

"Alright."

"Cath?"

"Yeah?"

"Be safe and" he paused, trying to find the right words, "thanks for coming."

"Anytime sailor." She responded. Then she turned and headed towards the ICU exit. Steve watched her as she left the ward; he knew how lucky he was.

Steve was leaning against the counter in the ICU room when Joe walked in. Handing him breakfast, Joe asked, "How are you doing son?"

"Better now." Whispered Steve with a genuine smile on his face. He motioned for them to step outside the room while they talked. She was sleeping and Steve wanted her to get as much rest as possible. They stood to the side of the counter of the nurse's station as Steve quickly consumed the breakfast in front of him.

"How'd the night go?" asked Joe, watching the young woman sleep.

"It went okay." He answered, debating how much to tell Joe. He trusted Joe, but then in the same instant, he didn't trust Joe. "She slept most of the night through"

"That's a good sign."

"What's a good sign?" asked Danny, he came up from behind Steve and clapped him on the back, sitting the change of clothes on the counter. Steve was just finishing his last bite of breakfast. "She slept most of the night through."

"That's a questionable sign then." Retorted Danny. Danny didn't trust Joe and what Joe and Steve considered normal behavior wasn't normal for the rest of the world. Steve looked at Danny, "Just reiterating what I said yesterday, most normal people would be freaking out after everything you two experienced. If she's handling it well, she's either incredibly well versed in handling trauma or she's covering it up. The latter is not healthy at all."

Steve just nodded his head. Arguing this point with Danny wasn't going to change the situation or help anything. Danny looked at Steve, "Did Catherine find you?"

"Yeah, she stopped up here this morning. Thanks for calling her." Steve responded.

"Lt. Rollins is in town?" inquired Joe.

"Yeah, I called her before we went to go retrieve Rambo and company" answered Danny, gesturing to the sleeping Azucena.

"I asked her to reach out to her Naval Intelligence contacts and see if there is any chatter on WoFat right now. I'm afraid he went underground to regroup, but I thought it best to have someone check it out."

"Good plan son." Joe responded, "What do you want me to do?"

"You said you could pull her Social Services records." Joe nodded his head. "I want to look at those. I want to see if there is anything in that file that could have led WoFat to her."

"I'm on it." Responded Joe. He headed down the hall of the ICU ward.

"I don't like that guy." Offered Danny.

"I know, but he has information that we need in this situation." Steve paused, he was beginning to question himself, "It was a rough night, but I didn't want Joe to know that. Is that wrong?"

"I say if your gut is telling you to withhold information from him, it's probably a good thing to do." Answered Danny, "Bad for her or bad for you?"

"She kept waking up in a panic. I'm certain she's having nightmares about the whole thing, but she can't say anything and the restraints are making the whole situation worse."

"I could see where restraints might scare her after she was chained up and beaten within an inch of her life."

"You're so helpful Danno." Steve changed the subject, "How's Gracie?"

"She's good. I was able to snag her for dinner and then took her back to Stan and Rachel before bedtime."

"Sorry you didn't get the whole evening."

"Not to worry, I have her tonight. Rachel was willing to work with me."

"Glad to hear it." Responded Steve. In that instant, the machines in Azucena's room started sounding and Steve could see her thrashing against the restraints. He was in the room in a second flat, her eye was open, but he could tell she wasn't seeing the people in the room. She was caught in between the world of sleep and reality, fighting against the unseen assailant that was torturing her.

The nurses worked to quiet the machines and add more anti-anxiety medicine to her IV. She continued to struggle against the ghost of an attacker as Steve spoke to her, "Azucena, you're safe. He isn't here."

His voice had an immediate calming influence on her. The fight in her quickly faded when his voice penetrated her sleep-induced haze. She didn't immediately see him, but Steve could tell that the moment she heard his voice, she stopped fighting against the restraints. He gently took her hand into his and stroked it until she found him with her good eye.

The nurses left the room and Danny stood in the doorway, watching the two interact. Steve had settled into the chair next to her bed. He could see she was working to calm herself, but the tears were still streaming out of her good eye. He quietly clicked the restraint off of the hand he was holding.

She quickly removed her hand from his grasp. Steve was terrified that she was going to pull out the intubation tube, and was mere millimeters from grabbing her hand when he realized she was placing her hand on her chest; just like she had done on the plane the day before.

He watched her as she focused on her breathing, closing her good eye, she let her hand rise and fall with each breath she took. He could see that she was focused on the rhythm of her breathing and the feeling of her chest with each intake of breath. Watching her, he realized she had done this before. This was a habit she had created for herself. He began to wonder what caused her to create this self-soothing tendency.

When she finally had her breathing under control she opened her eyes and Steve gently reached for her hand. He questioned her, "Are you doing ok?"

She nodded her head slowly to Steve, "Do you remember where you are?"

Again, a slight nod, but then Steve felt the increased intensity of her grip of his hand. He could see she was looking past him. He looked over his shoulder and could see his team watching them. "It's okay, they're with us."

He gestured at them, and then introduced them, "Kono helped me bandage you up on the plane yesterday. Do you remember her?"

Azucena nodded and tried to smile at the woman. Kono walked into the room and smiled back to the young woman, "It's good to see you awake. We were all very worried last night."

"Chin carried you out of the jungle and onto the chopper." Steve gestured to Chin and he stepped forward. "Good Morning."

Azucena managed to free her hand from Steve's grip and gave a small wave to Chin. He smiled back at her and then turned to his boss. Handing him a cell phone, "New phone, contacts are restored and I brought a tablet for whoever is going to spend the day here."

"Thanks Chin." Steve took the cell phone and looked back to Danny. "This is Danny; he's the one that pulled me out of the jungle."

"Hello." Supplied Danny, waving to the young woman. She gave Danny a small wave. Danny stepped forward, handing the change of clothes to Steve, "Get changed before someone here thinks you know medicine."

Steve was conflicted, if he left to change, he felt that he would need to redo the restraint on the free hand. Kono quickly picked up on his hesitation, "Boss, I can hold her hand, if that will make things better?"

"We just can't have the tube pulled out accidently. Are you both okay with this?" Steve knew Azucena didn't plan on pulling the tube out, but if she fell asleep with her hand free, there was a strong possibility that tube would come out.

"Of course." Answered Kono, as they both looked to the woman. She nodded her agreement. Steve stood and Kono took up Steve's position and held onto Azucena's hand.

There was a toilet in the corner of the room with a curtain around it. Steve stepped over to that area and pulled the curtain so he could change. Danny took this time to openly mock Steve, "Superman had a phone booth to change in; Super SEAL has a toilet. This seems appropriate."

"Shut up, Danno." The curtain countered back.

It was at this moment, Malia entered the room, "Good Morning, it's good to see fresh faces this morning."

Malia walked over to Azucena's bedside and gesturing to the released restraint, "I see Five-0 has implemented 'immunity and means' in my hospital already."

Steve pulled back the curtain, changed into his usual cargo pants and a black t-shirt, "Well, we were working to calm a situation Doc."

"I can understand. I'm okay with this as long as that tube doesn't get pulled out."

"Understood." Answered Steve.

"Azucena, are you okay with everyone in the room hearing about your injuries or do you want privacy?"

Kono loosened her grip on Azucena's hand, allowing her to gesture to everyone in the room and then giving the thumbs up sign. Malia nodded her understanding; Malia spoke directly to Azucena, "Your lung is healing and we should be able to remove the tube either tonight or first thing tomorrow morning.

"We had to cut a hole in your chest to relieve the pressure when your lung collapsed. It is currently closed with stitches and we should be able to remove those in nine days.

"The lungs and broken ribs are going to take about 6 weeks to heal, so you are going to be in pain for a while. To keep you from getting pneumonia, I am going to ask you to take deep breathes at least once an hour. That will help exercise your lungs. It is easiest to remember to do it at the same time, so I suggest on the top of the hour.

"In a little while, the nurses are going to come in and change the bandages over your eye. I believe the swelling will go down within the next two days, so we can determine if there is any damage to your sight at that time. Fortunately, there are no broken bones around that eye, so that is positive.

"Do you have any questions?" asked Malia.

Azucena nodded and worked to free her hand from Kono's grip. Steve spoke up, "Kono, hold your hand out like a piece of paper."

Kono laid her hand flat and Azucena used her finger like a pen. She focused and fought against the fatigue to spell out the word "shower."

Malia smiled to the young woman, "We will get you cleaned up as best as possible. I understand how uncomfortable you must be. I'm not certain how soon we will be able to wash your hair, but we will get you cleaned up. Hopefully this afternoon."

Azucena nodded and Malia asked, "Anything else?"

Azucena shook her head no; she figured all the questions she wanted answers to could wait until she could speak. She was fighting to keep her one good eye open. This recovery stuff was exhausting and she was certain the drugs weren't helping keep her awake.

Malia looked to the rest of the people in the exam room, "Who is staying here today?"

Steve answered, "Chin is staying today. Kono, can you cover tonight?"

"Of course, boss." She answered.

"I might just have to eat my lunch in here today." Answered Malia with a smile to Chin. The grin that spread across his face showed how much he enjoyed that idea. "If anything comes up or you guys need anything, feel free to page me."

"Thanks Malia." Supplied Steve, and she left the room to continue rounds. Steve looked from Azucena to his team. "Okay, Danny and I are going to Halawa to pay Sang Min a visit. He knows WoFat better than the rest of us. I want to know if he knew about Azucena.

"Catherine is using her sources from Naval Intelligence to see if there is any chatter on WoFat at the moment. I'm certain he went underground to regroup, but I want to cover all our bases.

"Kono, head back to the office and go through Azucena's life. See if you can find any way WoFat would have found her and tied her to Doris or myself.

"Chin, you are on hospital duty. In your spare time here, see if you can find anything on WoFat that would lead him to Azucena."

"You," he turned and looked at the young woman, still holding Kono's hand, "Rest and get better. If you need anything Chin can help. Are you good with this?"

She nodded her head, the fatigue working to overtake her system. Kono released her hand and stood up. Steve looked down, it killed him to do it, but he knew it was necessary, "I've got to put this back on now, okay."

Azucena nodded to him and then closed her eyes. She didn't want to see it and she was too tired to try and fight against it. She knew she was safe; there was no doubt about it. She heard the click and then everyone left the room. The fog of sleep overtook her.


	8. Chapter 8: Gathering Intel

Steve and Danny sat a visitor's table waiting for the prison guards to bring Sang Min to them. Steve was ansty and it was driving Danny nuts, "Could you just sit still?"

"I am sitting still Daniel."

"No Steven, you are moving all over the place. The table is vibrating because you keep bouncing your foot on the floor. Why are you so nervous?"

"I'm not nervous Danny, I just want to know if Sang Min knows anything about her."

"And we will find out. Just sit still, please." Steve tried to remain motionless, but there was a buzzing energy that just wafted off of him. Danny was quickly distracted when Sang Min was seated in front of them, "Gentlemen, what can I do for Hawaii's finest?"

"We need to know about a woman that WoFat had an interest in." answered Steve.

"What do I get in return?" countered Sang Min.

"Nothing." Supplied Danny, "You just get to help us."

"That doesn't work for me."

"Danny, correct me if I'm wrong, but can't we request that he get a buzz cut weekly?" supplied Steve.

"I believe you are correct Steve. Yep, we can talk to the warden and ensure you get a weekly buzz cut."

"What do you want to know?" asked a frustrated Sang.

"WoFat recently kidnapped a woman and beat her within an inch of her life." Answered Danny. "Do you know anything about the woman?"

"Do you think WoFat tells me everything he is planning?" countered Sang. "You do remember that I recently tried to take him out, but ended up running from the two of you."

"Yes, but when you were in his good graces, you must have seen something he was working on." Replied Danny.

"I might have seen a folder with some photographs in it."

"Tell us about the folder." Stated Steve.

"I was meeting with him in one of his safe houses and he might have left the room to deal with something and I might have peeked in the folder." Offered Sang. "There were pictures of a woman; she was tall with red hair. She wasn't no ginger redhead; she was firetruck red. I'm pretty certain the curtains match the carpet, if you know what I mean, huh?"

"Dear God, shut up." Said Danny. He could feel the anger roll through Steve at Sang's comment. "Tell us about the pictures, not a commentary on the woman."

"One was a picture of her in a running outfit: hat, short pants that women wear, and a tight running top. The woman had some nice tits, big and bouncy looking."

Danny put his hand on Steve's forearm, he knew Steve was about to explode, "For the love of all that is Holy, stick to the facts before Super SEAL tears you into tiny pieces."

Sang could see the anger on the SEAL's face, and decided it was best to not give his opinion further. "The other picture was the same woman, she looked to be in a chef's jacket and her hair was pulled back and she had a bandana on her head. Her jacket said something like, 'The Vault' and then what I assume was her name. It started with an A and had a bunch of weird letters in it."

"Did WoFat tell you anything about this woman?" asked Steve, stoically.

"Na man, he didn't even know I looked."

"Do you know anything further about the woman?" questioned Danny.

"She looked really young." Offered Sang, "Too young for WoFat to have an interest in her."

"Were there any other papers in the folder?" inquired Danny.

"Something about DNA, but I didn't have time to look too closely."

"He had her DNA?" asked Steve.

"I assume so. It looked like a bunch of science and the word 'DNA' was on the paper."

"It looked like a bunch of science?" quizzed Danny, incredulously.

"Yeah, that's all I remember seeing."

"Thanks." Offered Steve as he stood up and left the table. Danny quickly followed him out. They loaded into the car and Steve started the engine, "Well, other than Sang Min making lewd comments about your sister, I think that went really well."

"Didn't Jenna say that Victor Hesse worked for WoFat?" Steve's hands were on the steering wheel, but he hadn't engaged the gas pedal yet.

"Yes, she did say that." Answered Danny.

"Hear me out because I know this sounds crazy. Do you think that when they had my Dad and realized they weren't going to get the answers they wanted, they killed him and took a sample of his blood to get his DNA?"

"I wouldn't put it past them. They are all crazy and WoFat is calculating."

"Do you think WoFat knew my mother faked her death?"

"I have no idea. Joe knew and the CIA knew."

"What if, WoFat took my dad's DNA to determine if there were any other people out there that he could use as leverage against me?"

"That's a lot of forethought and planning. And with just your dad's DNA, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"I know, it's pretty out there. However, I wouldn't put anything past WoFat."

Steve and Danny walked into the Palace to find Kono and Catherine standing over the Smart Table, "Did Sang Min have any information, Boss?"

"WoFat apparently had her DNA."

"DNA, how would he have gotten her DNA?" questioned Catherine.

"Well, she's a foster kid, so it's probably in her records in the system." Offered Danny, "In Jersey, the Department for Children's Services is state run; so her information would be in a state database. It's probably pretty easy to hack."

"Did you find anything, Kono?" asked Steve.

Kono slid Azucena's information onto the big screen. Her driver's license's picture was front and center. "Meet Azucena Thalia Santiago. She was born December 13, 1992 to Claudia Luisa Santiago. She is currently 18 years old. A high school graduate of Silver Pond High School and currently enrolled at the University of Kansas, where she has declared her major in nursing.

"She worked through high school at the 'Main Street Diner' and then when she left for college, became a cook at 'The Vault.' Apparently, it is an old bank that became a restaurant.

"She lives in a one bedroom apartment about a half mile off of campus. She pays all her bills on time and when Jack passed away, she was listed as next of kin. She inherited the balance of his money. She could afford more, but she lives pretty frugally. She seems pretty normal, except I did find one thing that doesn't seem to fit. She has a sealed record."

"A sealed record?" questioned Steve, puzzled.

"Yeah, I can't figure out what it is, but it appears to have been sealed when she was 16 years old. I have reached out to the judge to see if he can unseal it for us. I'm waiting to hear back from his office."

"Why would a 16 year old girl have a sealed record?" asked Steve.

"She grew up in a small town, right?" questioned Catherine. Kono nodded to her, Catherine continued, "I know a lot of guys that grew up in small towns. They joined the Navy to get out of small town life. Most of those guys say there isn't a lot to do in a small town, so they did some stupid stuff. Maybe she made a bad decision, she was a minor, and the record was sealed so it wouldn't affect her employment opportunities down the road."

"Kono, would WoFat be able to unseal a record like this?" Steve questioned.

"No, it requires a court order to unseal a record and in some states, the record is ordered to be destroyed after it is sealed. I don't know if Kansas does that or not."

"Does she have an online presence?" asked Danny.

"Not that we can find using her name. If we had an email address, perhaps we could find one, but so far nothing."

"That doesn't surprise me; she was raised by an older couple. I don't think social media would have been something they were okay with." Steve responded. "Good work Kono. Any word from Chin?"

"Not yet, boss."

"Catherine, did you find anything?"

"Unfortunately no, your hunch about him going underground seems pretty accurate. It's currently radio silence on him."

Steve dismissed Kono for the rest of the afternoon, as she was on hospital duty that night. Danny, Steve and Catherine stopped at Kamekona's shrimp truck for a plate lunch and then Steve and Catherine headed up to the hospital, and Danny ended up back at the office.

Steve and Catherine walked into the ICU room to see Azucena asleep and Chin working away on the tablet. At the sight of Steve, Chin stood up and walked into the hallway. Catherine stayed at the young woman's bedside. Steve gestured towards the room, "How's it going?"

"She has slept most of the day, which is a good thing. Every time she wakes up, it's in a full blown panic. Malia says that is normal, she's experienced a major trauma and she is on some heavy duty drugs to combat the pain. Hopefully we can scale back on the drugs soon."

Steve nodded his head in agreement.

"I have spent a good chunk of the day working to find anything on WoFat, but he has covered his tracks. I don't know how he found her. Did Sang Min give you anything?"

"Yeah," answered Steve, "he said WoFat had her DNA."

"What?" a perplexed Chin asked.

"I'm not certain how he got his hands on it, but I think that is how he made the connection between the two of us. I'm thinking he had the DNA from my Dad when Hesse killed him. How he knew there was someone out there other than Mary and myself, I don't know."

"Kono, Joe or Catherine find anything?"

"Kono found a sealed record tied to her, but we are held for a judge to decide if he is going to unseal it for us. Catherine says it is radio silence on WoFat at the moment and I haven't heard from Joe yet."

"What's the next step?"

"I don't know." Offered Steve, running his hand over his mouth. "I know he isn't going to leave either of us alone until he finds Shelbourne. I think Shelbourne is our answer."

Steve called it an early day, he and Catherine stopped at grocery store to pick up some staples for the next few days. Steve hadn't been home in nearly five days. He was looking forward to a shower and sleeping in his own bed.

The two of them piled out of Catherine's rental and grabbed the groceries and Catherine's bag from the trunk. Catherine looked at the man beside her, "Go take a shower; I'll put up the groceries."

"If you hurry, you could join me." Steve offered.

"If I join you, it won't be a three minute shower."

"I think we can make an exception in this instance." A smile spread across his face as he unlocked the door and turned off the security system; they walked into the kitchen and placed the groceries on the counter. He leaned down and kissed her. It was a passionate kiss that made them forget everything else in the world. It was just the two of them.

Hands were quickly searching over each other's bodies and clothes being pulled up or pulled down, depending on the garment. They were in their underwear when female practicality intruded on the romantic encounter, as in between kisses Catherine supplied, "Groceries."

Steve teased her between kisses, "Yes, we bought groceries."

She slid out of his arms and started to unload the grocery sacks and Steve admired the view of her in her bra and panties. He decided to help unload the groceries, and placed items in the refrigerator. The minute all the perishables had been placed in the refrigerator, he scooped her up into his arms, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her upstairs and into the shower. It was definitely not a three minute shower.

Steve was so thankful to be home; he wrapped the towel around his waist and just sat on his bed for a moment. A lot had happened in the last five days. He needed to process it and work out the next steps, but he had been on the go from the minute they landed. Catherine walked out of the bathroom wrapped up in a towel, "The towel isn't necessary."

"I'm running downstairs to get my bag. There are windows, the towel is very necessary."

"You want me to run down and grab it?" Steve offered.

"No, this is the first time you have been home in a while, just relax. I'll be back up shortly."

He leaned back on the bed and rested his head on the pillow. He allowed his eyes to close and he must have drifted off because the next thing he knew was Catherine was curled up next to him, under the covers.

The sun had started to sink over the water, but it was still casting orange rays into the bedroom. He began to climb under the covers next to her, when her eyes opened, "Hey sailor."

"I was out."

"Yes you were. By the time I came back upstairs with my bag, you were snoring."

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, you've had a lot of things going on." She said as she slid next to him and placed her head on his chest. He ran his fingers through her long, dark locks. "Yeah, I'm not certain what to think of everything."

"Finding out your mom didn't die like you originally thought and you have another sister." She offered up, "It's some pretty heavy stuff."

"Yeah, I'm not certain what to do about it all."

"Well, I'm not certain there is anything you can do on the Doris front. As for Azucena, what are you thinking?"

"She can't go back to Kansas; she isn't safe there. WoFat grabbed her there, and I have no doubt he would do it again." Steve began thinking aloud, "I'm thinking about having her stay here, at the house."

"I know your heart is in the right place when you say that. However, I am going to say something that you won't like to hear." She placed her hand on his chest and turned her head to look up at him, "She's not part of Five-0; you can't force her to stay in Hawaii. I'm not certain how you would approach the topic, but you have to let her make the decision."

"I know what you are saying and you are right." Steve responded and he caressed her face with his hand, "I was pissed when my dad sent Mary and me away. I can't force her to stay, but I want her to know that this should have been her home and she is more than welcome to stay here."

"You're a good man, Steve. She is lucky to have a brother like you." She leaned up and kissed him; which turned into more than a kiss. Before all was said and done, they didn't make dinner until well after the sun went down that night.


	9. Chapter 9: Getting To Know You

**To all the wonderful readers leaving messages, thank you so much. Your kind words mean so much to me.**

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Kono relieved Chin of hospital duty around seven that evening. She brought a bunch of surfing magazines to entertain herself while she watched the sleeping woman.

Around 10 that night, the nurses went into her room to change out medicine. Azucena's eyes fluttered open and this time, she wasn't in a panic. The head nurse looked to her, "Well, hello there."

Azucena tried to smile at the lady. The nurse looked at the respiration machine and then to the young woman, "The doctor left notes saying if your respiration was good for ten solid hours, we could remove the tube this evening. You've made it thirteen. Are you ready to get this intubation tube out?"

Sheer happiness spread across Azucena's face and she nodded. The nurse looked to the young lady, "We are going to give you a nasal cannula to provide oxygen, if it doesn't provide enough, we can upgrade you to a mask. Give us a few minutes to get everything organized and we will get that tube out."

Kono stood and looked to the woman, "I'm going to call Steve and let him know they are removing the tube."

Azucena shook her head no. That man had done so much for her already; she wanted him to have the night to himself. She couldn't convey this to Kono, but she would. Kono was pretty certain what the young woman was thinking, but thought it best to clarify. "You don't want me to call Steve?"

Azucena nodded.

"You'll explain when you can talk?"

She nodded again. Kono was okay with this and sat back down to stay out of the nurses' way.

The nurses were ready and the head nurse looked to the young woman, "This shouldn't hurt, but it will be uncomfortable. On the count of three, you are going to cough and we are going to gently pull this tube out. Do you understand?"

The young woman nodded. The nurse looked to her, "Are you ready?"

Again she nodded, the head nurse counted, "One, two, three . . . cough, cough, cough. Nicely done."

The tube was out of her throat and she could feel every single broken and cracked rib with each and every cough. It was dreadfully painful, but at least she didn't have a tube down her throat. However, the blood she had coughed up surprised her. The nurse saw the surprise in her expression, "That's normal honey. The tube normally causes a little irritation."

Azucena tried to speak, but the first few attempts were unproductive. Her voice was a hoarse whisper that no one could understand. The head nurse removed the restraints from her wrists and then offered her a spoonful of ice chips. "Just let those melt for a few minutes. They should help you."

Azucena gently touched each freed wrist while she sucked on the ice chips. The relief that was washing over her body by having her hands free could be seen by both Kono and the head nurse. The other nurse had taken this time to exit the room. The head nurse gave her another spoonful of ice chips, "Let this round melt and then we will try speaking."

Azucena followed the nurse's direction and when everything was melted she tried again, "Thank you both, for everything."

It came out a raspy whisper and her words were still garbled from the busted lip, but the nurse and Kono were able to understand the words. The nurse had the nasal cannula in her hand, "I'm going to hook this over your ears and these two little notches are going to sit in your nostrils. This will give you extra oxygen."

"Sounds good." Offered Azucena, as she let the nurse place the breathing apparatus on her face; careful to avoid her bad eye and busted lip. As the nurse finished, she asked, "Is that okay?"

"Yes, thank you very much."

"Well, that's about all the excitement we can provide this evening. Is there anything you need?"

"You have been so wonderful, and this is really out of left field, but can I brush my teeth?"

The nurse smiled, she understood the request of the young woman, "We can make that happen. Give me a few minutes to gather the supplies and I will be back."

"Thank you so much." Replied Azucena as the nurse left the room. Azucena looked at Kono, who was standing at the foot of her bed, "Kono, right?"

"Yeah." Kono smiled in response.

"Please don't bother Steve tonight. Let him have a night to himself."

"Okay," responded Kono, "How are you feeling?"

"Better now," she offered with an attempt at a smile, "You must be bored sitting up here all night."

"Nah, I brought some magazines to read." Kono gestured to the surfing magazines.

"I take it you surf?"

"You could say that." Kono responded with a big grin on her face.

"You must really enjoy it."

"Yeah, I was a professional surfer until I blew my knee out. So I became a cop."

"A professional surfer? Wow, I don't even know what to say to that."

"Do you play any sports?"

"I ran track and cross country in high school. Now I just run to stay in shape."

"So you like the long distances?"

"I prefer them." She yawned. The fatigue and medicine were kicking in and she was starting to lose the battle against them. Kono smiled to the young woman, "We'll talk more in the morning, get some rest."

Azucena fell asleep quickly while Kono sat in her chair flipping magazine pages. The nurse returned with supplies to brush her teeth, but saw her patient was out. She set the supplies on the counter, "I'll leave these here and we can do it the next time she wakes up."

When the nurse left the room, Kono picked up her phone. She selected Steve for the contact and texted, _They took the tube out about an hour ago. She asked me to not bother you. Wanted you to have a night to yourself. Waited until she fell asleep to send this. Thought you would want to know. All is good here._

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Steve woke to the beep of his phone. His eyes adjusted and he could see that it was a text from Kono. He read it and smiled while texting back, _Thanks Kono._

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Steve emerged from his morning swim to find Joe sitting in one of the wooden chairs that sat resident on the beach. Joe didn't stand, but handed Steve his towel. As Steve ran the towel over his face and across his chest he addressed Joe, "Morning Joe."

"Morning." Joe nodded back, "It took me longer than I care to admit to get this file from the Department of Children and Families, so I thought I would bring it over as soon as possible. I called, but when you didn't answer, I assumed you were out here."

Steve draped the towel over his shoulders and took the folder from Joe. Sitting down in the chair next to Joe, he leaned forward his elbows resting on his knees. He opened the file. He started to skim over the information; he was looking for something specific. When he didn't find any mention of it, he raised it up to Joe, "Kono found a sealed record tied to Azucena. However, it's not mentioned in this file nor the one you gave me the day we got back. Why is that?"

Joe looked honestly confused, "Sealed record?"

"Yeah, Kono pulled all the information she could find on Azucena yesterday and in the process she found a sealed record. She requested it be unsealed, but I find it odd that the CIA and DCF don't mention the record or what it relates to."

"This is news to me. I can reach out to the CIA and see if they redacted or removed anything from her file."

"Would you mind?" asked Steve, "Kono is waiting to hear back from the judge."

"Sure, is there anything else you need?"

"I need to know what Shelbourne is. Do you have any idea Joe?"

"No, but I might know someone who does."

"Who?"

"I'll see what I can find. If I find anything, I'll let you know." He said, standing up.

"Who is it Joe?"

"I'll let you know if I find out anything." Joe said as he walked away, leaving Steve smoldering on the beach.

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Steve walked into the hospital to find Kono laughing as the young woman's face was contorted into some version of a smile.

"Looks like things have taken a turn for the positive in this room." Observed Steve.

"Yes," answered Kono, "we were comparing stories on being the sole female in most situations."

Steve looked at the two women perplexed and Azucena, her voice still a raspy whisper, inquired, "How are you this morning, Commander?"

"Just fine, thank you." He offered, "So it appears the tube came out and your hands are free."

"Last night was a good night." Azucena smiled to him as Kono gathered her belongings. Kono looked to the young woman, "I enjoyed talking with you this morning, hopefully we can do it again when you aren't laid up in a hospital bed."

"I agree, thank you."

"Kono, take the morning and meet back in the office around 1?" Steve said.

"Will do, thanks Boss." Kono smiled and waved to the both of them and exited the ICU room. Steve turned to the young woman, "How are you feeling?"

"Yes, how are you feeling?" asked Malia as she waltzed into the room.

"Better."

"On a scale of 1 to 10, and ten is unbearable pain, how bad is your pain?" Malia inquired.

"Seven." She almost sounded worried to say it out loud. Malia nodded, "That makes sense, between the broken and fractured ribs and your bruised kidneys, you will be in intense pain for a while. I'm going to order some more pain medicine. It will make you sleepy, but sleep is the best thing you can do."

Azucena hesitated; she looked to Malia, and then Steve, and back to Malia. Before Azucena could open her mouth, Malia spoke up, "Commander, could you give us a few minutes?"

"Sure, I'll be in the hallway." He exited the room and Malia slid the sliding glass door shut, to give her patient some privacy.

"Doctor, I don't mean to be difficult, but is there a medicine that won't make my dreams so vivid?"

"Nightmares?"

"It's pretty ridiculous."

"No, nightmares aren't ridiculous my dear." Malia sat down on the chair next to the young woman's bed, "You suffered through a terribly traumatic experience and your body is reacting to the stress from that situation. I can change up the medicine, it won't make you stop dreaming, but hopefully your body won't react as strongly to this other medicine."

"Thank you."

"Is there anything else we need to discuss? I know the Commander is worried about you, but I want you to know I'm your doctor and what we discuss stays between us."

"No, just ready to recover and move on."

"All right, but if we ever need to kick the Commander out to discuss your medical information, I'm more than happy to do so." Malia said as she reached down and squeezed the young woman's hand. She opened the sliding glass door and invited Steve back into the room, "Azucena, I'm going to keep you in the ICU for another 24 hours. If everything continues to improve, I will move you out of ICU for a few days before we discharge you. That sound okay?"

"Yes, and thank you Doctor." With that Malia exited the room, onto her next patient. Steve took a seat next to the young woman's bed. She looked at Steve, "Where are we?"

"You are in Queens Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii."

"Where were we?"

"WoFat had us hidden away in North Korea."

"Sweet Jesus, North Korea?!" Azucena exclaimed.

"I think he had you a total of three days. Do you remember anything about your time with him?"

"Yeah, I remember waking up in a cell with shackles around my ankles and no shoes or socks." Her voice was still the raspy whisper from the previous night, but Steve could hear the fear in it. "I couldn't tell if it was day or night when I woke up; there were no windows."

"What else do you remember?"

"The room that they had us in, I wasn't in there very long before they drug you in there."

"Was WoFat one of the men that grabbed you?"

"I don't think so." He could see her concentrating.

"Did you wake up at all while they were transporting you?"

"Not that I can remember." She closed her eye, and swallowed back the fear that was creeping into her system.

"My team is working to figure out how he found you." Offered Steve, he wanted to make her feel a little more secure.

"Thank you." She responded, curiosity got the better of her, "How did he get you?"

"You know the friend who gave me the pin to free us?" he asked her, she nodded her head yes, "She tricked me into thinking we were going to rescue her fiancé. She had worked out a deal with WoFat, he would free her fiancé in exchange for me. I didn't know it until it happened."

"That's horrible."

"What's worse is that WoFat had killed her fiancé a long time ago."

"And then WoFat killed her?"

"Yeah." Steve nodded solemnly, looking down at his hands. Trying to change the subject, he looked up at her, "On the plane, we talked about doing a DNA test, are you still willing to do that?"

"Sure, I mean, WoFat and Joe both told us we are siblings, but honestly, I don't trust either of them. I'd like to see it for myself."

"I'll call my ME, and have him head this way. Is now okay?"

"I'm not going anywhere." She gestured to herself in the bed. He smiled at her and pulled out his cell phone. He called Max and made arrangements for Max to arrive at the hospital within the next hour to conduct the DNA test.

When Steve hung up, Azucena whispered, "I need to ask a favor."

Steve looked at her, "Ok."

"I need to call my boss and tell him that I'm a little banged up at the moment, but when I'm released, I'll head back to get back to work. I really need this job and the insurance. It will be a miracle if he hasn't already fired me. I also need to let my professors know that I'm out for the rest of the semester." She spoke the last part more to herself than to Steve, "Apparently this semester was a wash."

"Azucena, Kono called your boss and the University yesterday. Your boss hasn't fired you and the school is aware of the circumstances. They are going to see what they can do to work with you."

"Thank God." She sighed, he could see the relief in her body as she processed this information. Steve took this moment to ask her, "Why nursing?"

She looked at him, surprised by the question, "Your team knows everything, huh?"

"It's part of our job." He responded, nonchalantly.

"I'm meant to help people. I've always known it. Nurses help people in their weakest, most vulnerable state. That's my purpose." She answered, and then quizzed him, "Why Five-0, Commander?"

"You can call me Steve." He smiled and continued, "Honestly, it started out as revenge. But now I do it because I have a great team and I like the variety each day brings."

"Revenge?" she questioned.

"Five-0 was created by the governor of Hawaii to combat violent crimes. She offered it to me because she knew I could do the job, but it also allowed me to track down the man that murdered my father."

She wanted to inquire further, but thought it wasn't something she should ask about. She didn't know this man well enough. Steve could sense her hesitation on whether to pursue this line of questioning, so he changed the subject. "Jack and Clara raised you since you were 8?"

"Did DCF give you my file or the CIA?"

"Both."

"So there really are no secrets." She offered up, "You can just ask whatever you want to know. You probably already know everything."

"Do you think Jack and Clara knew about the CIA or your mother working for the mob?"

"No, but if they did, they never let on."

"How were they approached on becoming your foster parents?"

"I never asked." She answered, "When I first arrived at their house, I was shell-shocked from losing my mom. They treated me wonderfully and I made friends in the neighborhood. As I grew older, I never asked because I was just thankful to have them. They were my parents in every sense of the word."

"They never adopted you." Stated Steve.

"No, the state paid them to take care of me. Every check the state sent them, they put into a college fund for me. They knew if they adopted me, the state would stop sending them checks. They figured this was one way they could help me make a better life for myself. Basically, they paid for all of my clothes, food and after school activities out of pocket and all the money the state paid them, they put in a college fund for me."

"What if someone wanted to adopt you?"

"I don't know how well versed you are with the foster system, but not many people are signing up to adopt kids that aren't infants. The stigma attached to older kids in the system is that we are all screw-ups." She paused, reflecting back on her life with Jack and Clara, "I knew I was loved. They treated me like I was their own child. I don't think they would have given me up and I definitely would have fought to stay with them."

"When did you meet Joe?"

"Is this a curiosity question or does is this something to do with WoFat?" Steve was a little surprised by her straightforwardness.

"Curiosity." Answered Steve.

"I don't remember Joe before Silver Pond. If he was around, I was too young to remember." She reflected, "I think the first time I remember seeing him was at the diner. Every day after school, I would sit at the counter in the diner and do my homework. He walked in one afternoon and talked to me while I worked on my spelling words. He was nice enough, but honestly, I was more interested in finishing my homework so I could go play with my friends. I only ever saw him at the diner. He said he was a business man."

"Over the years you saw him more regularly?"

"Yeah, he would pop up about every three months. I didn't always talk to him, but I know Jack or Clara did. My folks were friendly to everyone that came into the diner."

"Did they know he was connected to your mother?"

"If they knew, they didn't tell me." She answered, as a yawn escaped her mouth.

"You're fading."

"I'm okay. I want to stay awake at least until your medical examiner arrives." She responded, fighting the fatigue and exhaustion that was overtaking her body. She knew the pain medicine was kicking in, as the pain from her ribs was softening.

"Tell me about Silver Pond." Asked Steve, knowing if he could keep her talking, she might be able to stay awake.

"What do you want to know about it?"

"Tell me about the town, the school, your friends." He told himself he was asking this question to get her to stay awake, but in reality, he wanted to hear about her childhood. He wanted to know her childhood was a positive one.

"Silver Pond is a small town. It has no stoplight and the highway runs right through the middle of town. The school and churches are on one side of the highway and the diner, bank and tavern are on the other side. We have three churches: Baptist, Lutheran, and the Church of the Nazarene."

"Which church did you attend?"

"We attended the Lutheran church." She thought back, "But after we lost Clara, Jack's attendance was spotty."

"What about your friends?"

"There were four of us that ran around together: Frog, Tommy and Dean."

"Frog?" questioned Steve.

"That was his nickname." She smiled to herself, "Where you found one of us, you normally found the others. As kids we spent the summers fishing in the local lakes and rivers. There were multiple times each summer we would return to the house covered in mud from fishing in the river. Clara would make us stand in the yard and hose us down before she would allow us on the back porch."

"Sounds like you all found enough mischief to keep yourselves busy."

"Without a doubt, Clara was so patient. I don't think she realized that when she took in a foster daughter, she would end up with three sons as well." She thought back, "The four of us were thick as thieves. One time"

There was a knock on the door and then a voice, "Commander?"

Steve turned around, "Max, come on in."

Steve stood and welcomed Max into the room, "Max, this is Azucena Santiago. Azucena this is Doctor Max Bergman."

"Nice to meet you Doctor Bergman." Offered Azucena, as she slowly lifted her hand in a small wave.

"And to you, Miss Santiago." Max said, as he nodded his head in her direction.

"Max, can you swab the both of us and compare our DNA against each other's?" questioned Steve.

"Of course Commander, this will take about a day's time to run a complete analysis. I should have an answer for you about this time tomorrow."

"Great Max, thank you." Shared Steve. Max swabbed both of their cheeks and sealed the samples. Max looked to Steve, "Would you like me to call you with the results and send a copy to your email?"

"That would be wonderful." Offered Steve, turning to Azucena, "Does that work for you?"

She nodded her head, her eyelid heavy. Steve walked Max to the door of the room, "Max, can you make sure this is kept confidential."

"Certainly, Commander."

"Thanks Max." Steve offered up. He watched Max walk away, he knew in his gut that they were siblings, but he just needed the scientific backing. He already worried about this woman like he worried about Mary.

He turned and saw her fast asleep. He sat down on the chair next to her bed. After listening to her talk, he knew she had a good childhood. If she was related to him and Mary, he could only imagine the adventures and troubles she had gotten into as a kid. He had seen a flash of it on the plane, but he could tell, this kid had spunk and an attitude to match the fiery red hair.


	10. Chapter 10: Panic

Chapter 10

 _She could hear his terrible laugh behind her. It was far off, but the fact that she could hear it told her he was too close. She continued to run through the tunnel, Steve keeping pace with her. She could hear both of their bare feet slapping the wet cement as they scurried through the shadowy tunnels._

" _Left or right?" she questioned, indicating the quickly approaching end of the tunnel in front of them. There were only two options._

" _Left." He answered, over the thumping of her heartbeat in her ears. They approached the end of the tunnel and turned left, and she ran smack into Woods. She screamed and pushed away from the man, turned to look for Steve. He was nowhere to be found._

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"Aaaahhhh!" she jolted awake, pain raging through her torso. Danny was up and out of his chair within a second. The woman was struggling to sit up and fighting against the imaginary monster from her dreams. He had seen Grace do it enough when she had a nightmare. He stood by the edge of her bed and spoke to her, "Hey, hey, hey . . . you're safe here. He's not here."

When the room finally came into focus, she could see the man standing next to her bed. She didn't immediately recognize him, she pulled back from him. "I'm Danny, I'm a friend of Steve's. Do you remember me?"

Placing her hand on her chest, she started to try and calm down as she ran this man's face through her memory. It took her a minute because he was the quiet one. She hadn't seen much of him, "You're Steve's partner, yeah?"

"Yes, I'm Steve's partner." He answered, stepping back from the bed, trying to give her space. He could read her body language; she wasn't comfortable with him at this moment. She was working through if she could relax or not, and trying to focus.

"So you drew the short straw tonight?" she said, as she slowly leaned back against the angled bed.

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily call it that." Danny offered, trying to make her feel a little better about him being there.

"Not many people voluntarily sit up at the hospital, unless they are with a loved one."

"Okay, I got hospital duty." He caved, his hands dancing through the air, "No offense, I'm sure you are a lovely person."

She laughed at him; he was trying to be nice and polite. "No offense taken."

"The nurse came in earlier; she said they were going to try giving you actual food for dinner. When you wake up, if you wanted to try something light, they would get it ordered for you."

"Man, I'm graduating from ice chips?" she joked, "Things are looking up."

"You act like you feel pretty good."

"My ribs and my face hurt, but the pain in manageable. I'm just thankful to be alive."

"WoFat worked you over pretty good."

"That's one way to describe it." She responded, finally removing her hand from her chest. Her breathing, while still painful, was under control. "Any luck on finding that asshole?"

"Unfortunately, no; he's gone underground. Steve thinks he is regrouping."

"You guys know him." It was a statement.

"Yeah, WoFat tried to kill Steve."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, he didn't exactly try to kill Steve himself." Answered Danny, talking more to himself than to Azucena, "He had a man named Victor Hesse come after Steve. Hesse tried to warn Steve by shanking him in the prison yard. In the end, WoFat killed Hesse."

"Shanking him in the prison yard? WoFat kills the man who is supposed to kill Steve? You're messing with me, right?" asked a shocked Azucena. She was trying to take in all the details presented to her.

"No, I'm actually telling you the complete truth." Supplied Danny calmly, fully aware of the insanity of the story.

"So Steve was in prison?"

"Well, he was innocent. It just took us a while to prove his innocence." Answered Danny, nonchalantly.

"What was he unjustly accused of?"

"Killing the Governor of Hawaii." Azucena struggled with the answer provided. She slowly asked her next question, "Who actually killed the Governor?"

"WoFat."

"Holy Mary Mother of God." Azucena whispered to herself, as the gravity of her situation really started to sink in.

Danny watched everything change in an instant. The heartrate monitor started beeping at an alarmingly high rate. He could see a wave of terror cross over her entire body. Her hands started shaking as she began talking to herself in a whisper, "He's going to do it again."

In that instant, Danny could tell that she didn't even recognize he was in the room. She reached for the IV in her arm and pulled it out, blood oozing out of the opening in her arm. Danny was up and out of his chair in an instant, panic coated his words, "Okay, okay. You can't do that. NURSE!"

Azucena didn't even see him. She pulled herself up into the sitting position, and pulled back the covers. She didn't even recognize the pain soaring through her ribs as she sat up, her breathing labored. She pulled off the electrodes monitoring her heart, all the while talking to herself, "Not again, not again, not again."

The nurses swarmed the room as Azucena stood up from the bed. She hadn't yet realized she had a catheter still connected to her. She took one step away from the bed as the head nurse approached her, "Azucena, you need to stop."

Azucena didn't even notice the nurse; she continued to mumble to herself and tried to walk towards the door to the hallway. The head nurse yelled to the other nurse, "Benzodiazepine STAT."

The nurse ran from the room immediately. The head nurse took in Azucena's appearance, she was covered in sweat, shaking, lost contact with reality and she could see the fear shrouding the girl. She recognized the panic attack and knew that this could end poorly. The head nurse worked to block the young woman from moving from the bed any further, "Azucena, you are safe here. I need you to stop right now."

Azucena finally saw the nurse, but nothing the nurse could say would sway her. The panic attack overtaking her body was reaching its peak. Tears poured down her face as she kept talking to herself, "He's going to find me. He's gonna do it again. I can't stay here, not again."

"Azucena, Detective Williams is here and he's going to keep you safe." She was doing everything she could to keep the young woman from tearing the catheter out of herself with her next few steps for the door. The sedative couldn't get here fast enough. She had encountered patients who were bigger than this young woman, but she could feel the muscle under the hospital gown. She wasn't certain how long she was going to be able to hold this young woman back. "Detective Williams, I need you to push that security button!"

"I'm not safe here. He'll find me." She struggled against the nurse, panic and tears painting her words. Danny hit the button on the wall and then tried to help the best he could, "Azucena, Steve isn't going to let him find you. We are going to keep you safe."

"Steve wasn't safe. He can't protect me. Too many monsters in this world. I can't stay here." She continued to try and make it towards the hallway. The head nurse's hands were wrapped around Azucena's upper arms. Even in her weakened state, she was strong. It was a combination of the fear and adrenaline running through her system.

Two security guards showed up at the entrance to the room at the same time the other nurse returned with the sedative. Azucena's eye that wasn't covered had tunnel vision. Her sole focus was on the doorway. When the two security guards showed up, her focus shifted enough that the returning nurse was able to inject her with the sedative. It wasn't even ten seconds after the sedative entered her system that she passed out. Danny and the head nurse caught her before she collapsed to the ground.

One of the security guards lifted the unconscious Azucena into the hospital bed. After checking with the nurses, Security left the room. Danny stood back, running his hands through his blond hair, as the nurses situated Azucena in the bed. The head nurse looked to him as the other nurse started a new IV line, "You okay Detective?"

"I wasn't prepared for that. That was pretty intense."

"It's not at all uncommon." Answered the head nurse, "This probably won't be the last time it happens. Fortunately, we were able to give her a sedative and she will sleep for the next few hours. She will be pretty groggy when she wakes up."

Knowing that she would sleep, Danny decided against calling Steve. Let him have his last night with Catherine. The nurses had averted a catastrophe and there was nothing more to be done this evening. They finished their ministrations over Azucena and left the room. Danny settled into the recliner, quietly turned on the television in the room and fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11: DNA

Steve traipsed into the ICU ward with his head still in the clouds. The previous night with Catherine had been exactly what he had needed. Grilling steaks on the beach and then spending the rest of the evening making love all over the house. They hadn't fallen asleep until the early hours of the morning. When the alarm went off to take her to the airport, they were both fighting sleep and the desire to stay wrapped up in each other's arms.

He was disappointed she was leaving, but he knew she would return in two months. There was plenty to do here to keep himself occupied for the next two months.

As he approached the nurse's station, he saw Danny standing outside Azucena's room. The glass door drawn shut and the curtain pulled. Steve gestured to the room with his head, "What's going on?"

"Sponge bath; hence, I am out here."

"Makes sense." Steve said, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning against the counter of the nurse's station. "How'd last night go?"

"Terrible." Danny responded, running his hands through his hair. "She had a panic attack. She pulled the IV out of her arm, blood oozed everywhere. She made it up and out of bed before we could stop her. Fortunately the wonderful nursing staff and security were able to stop her before she could get so far that the catheter would be pulled out."

Steve cringed at that mental image. "Do we know what set it off?"

"I did." Danny offered, kicking himself each and every time he thought about it.

"What do you mean?"

"She woke up and was in a really good mood. She was cracking jokes and laughing. She's a funny kid." Danny's hands started talking with him at this point in his admission of guilt. "Then the topic of WoFat came up and she wanted to know how we knew him. Well, I opened my big mouth and I told her about WoFat sending Victor Hesse to kill you in prison. Which then in turn, brought up the discussion of you being in prison for the murder of the governor. When she found out it was WoFat that actually murdered the governor and that he killed Victor Hesse too, she just panicked. Her whole body went into this state of tunnel vision and terror. She was convinced she needed to leave because he was going to do it again. She kept repeating 'not again, not again" and then she said there were too many monsters in the world. Steve, I'm so sorry. I feel terrible that this whole thing happened."

Steve could see the distress Danny had for the events of the previous evening. He knew Danny would never knowingly upset an innocent person. Steve placed his hand on Danny's shoulder, "She's okay, right?"

"Yeah, the nurses injected her with a sedative and she passed out. She slept until about 4 this morning and she was horrified with her behavior when she remembered everything. She kept apologizing to me and the nurses."

"I figured it was only a matter of time before something like this happened." Steve offered, hoping it would help Danny forgive himself. "I mean, she suffered a pretty horrific experience. You even said it after the first night here; if she is handling this well it isn't normal. She's coping like any civilian would. She might be handling it a little better than most, but it's going to haunt her for quite some time. Don't beat yourself up, man."

Danny changed the subject, "Heard back from Max yet?"

"No, he said it would take 24 hours."

"You put Catherine on a plane this morning?"

"Yeah, that gets tougher and tougher each time." Steve reflected. It started to scare him, his roots were taking hold in Hawaii and as much as he wasn't ready to admit it, he wanted her to put down roots here with him. "Why don't you go home and get some shut-eye. Head in to the office around 1?"

"Sounds good man. You need anything?"

"Nah, just going to hang out here this morning, unless we get a case."

With that, Danny headed home for the morning and Steve waited.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve stood at the counter and watched her sitting in the bed. The nurse had just left the room and Azucena was running her fingers through her hair. He watched as she pulled it to one shoulder and was dividing it into thirds. He ambled over to her doorway and knocked quietly on the doorframe. He was trying to give her some semblance of privacy.

"Good morning, Commander." She said, as her fingers weaved the hair into a long braid. She didn't have a hair tie, so she just let it sit on her chest. Anything was better than it being loose and dirty.

"You look like you're feeling better."

"Dry shampoo," She smiled, "it's the small things anymore."

"Sounds like last night was a bit rough." Steve offered.

"Yeah, more like enlightening and horrifically embarrassing." She looked down at her hands; the nurse hadn't rewrapped her wrists yet, so she could see the bruises and gashes. It made her sick to her stomach. She knew this reaction and was incredibly thankful there were no mirrors in this room. She could only imagine how terrifying her face looked.

Steve watched her reaction as she inspected her wrists. Her face read disgust, but also something else. He couldn't tell if she was avoiding eye contact because she was embarrassed about the incident the previous night or if she was truly interested in her wrists. It was almost like she was zoning out while she stared at the cuts and bruises around her wrists. "Those will heal."

She shook herself from her thoughts; smiling and agreeing, "Yes, yes they will."

"Want to talk about last night?" he asked, softly and patiently.

"Not particularly." She answered honestly, and then quickly changed the subject. "Have you heard from Dr. Bergman yet?"

"Not yet, but I know Max. He will let me know as soon as the data is available." Steve answered. He could tell something was bothering her, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

She struggled to sit up further in bed. As she tried to situate herself, she sought to find a way to have the blanket cover her wrists. The bruises and cuts were bringing too many memories to the surface. It was making her antsy.

"You okay?" Steve asked, watching her squirm.

"Yeah, I just have cabin fever. I feel pretty good right now and I'm stuck in this bed. I'm ready to be out of the hospital."

"That's a fair point. I never do very well in the hospital."

"Frequent visitor, Commander?"

"I try not to be, but in my line of work it happens sometimes." He offered, "And you know you can call me Steve, right."

"I know I can." She smiled, "Is it weird that I'm not ready to do that until I hear the response from Dr. Bergman?"

"No, not weird at all." He laughed to himself, "Believe me, I understand better than you would think."

"Shanked in the prison yard?" she changed the subject. He noticed she did that when things got too personal.

"Yes, courtesy of WoFat."

"Both for being in prison and the person attacking you."

"That's correct."

"Why you? How did he become fixated on you?"

"Well, when I was a SEAL I was sent to take down two brothers who were international arms dealers. One was killed and the other one killed my father. They both worked for WoFat." He paused, "After I became Five-0, I went after the brother that killed my father and in the process, we took down the man who I thought killed my mother. He was in the upper echelons of the Yakuza. The Yakuza work for WoFat."

"You kept killing his people." She stated, taking in the fact that the man sitting across from her had killed multiple people.

"Anton Hesse was killed on accident. We were ambushed and he was killed in the ambush. Koji Noshimori was actually arrested and sent to prison. WoFat actually had Koji killed before he made it to prison."

"Why would he kill his own guy?" her head spinning.

"Koji was a liability. He had nothing to offer WoFat and could only hurt him with all the information he had. In WoFat's world, he was tying up loose ends."

"This is insane." She stated. This was the stuff of mobster movies and works of fiction. She made herself stop reacting and started to dissect this logically. "How did he know who I was and how did he find me?"

"We aren't certain." Answered Steve. He knew she was struggling with the reality of the situation; it was finally starting to sink in. WoFat knew who she was and she was now a player in his sick and twisted games. Steve knew this was going to hit her hard. "We talked to one of our criminal informants who used to do business with WoFat. He said WoFat had surveillance photos on you and he had a copy of your DNA."

Her stomach hit the floor. He had her DNA. That meant he could have been in her apartment. He had been watching her. Or he had someone watching her and she had never known it. This was too much. She wanted to throw up.

Steve watched her reaction. He could see the blood drain from her face. He watched the fear and terror rush over her. 'Hey, hey, hey . . . we are working on this. You are safe and my team is going to watch you until we figure this out."

He wasn't prepared for her next reaction. She had been pretty calm up until this point. Her response took him by surprise, "Are you fucking kidding me? Your team can't watch me 24/7, and if he's gone underground there is no telling when he will come back or when his minions will come after me again. This isn't normal! You do realize that, right? This is so many shades of fucked up that I can't even wrap my head around it."

He watched her breathing become labored as she unloaded. He had seen this enough in victims to know her frustration and anger were about the situation. He couldn't take this personally. She was terrified and he was just on the receiving end of her meltdown, "You have every right to be angry. I don't disagree, this is completely messed up. However, I'm going to do everything in my power to help you. Between Joe White and myself, we will make sure you are safe."

She placed her hand on her chest trying to calm herself while he talked. She really wasn't hearing his words. She was focused on the rising and falling of her chest; finding the balance that had been eluding her lately.

She focused on this situation, it wasn't his fault. He couldn't predict or control the actions of a lunatic. He hadn't even known she existed, let alone that WoFat would come after her. She shouldn't have taken this out on him, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you. This isn't your fault and I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"You're fine; you're allowed to be angry and upset about this whole situation."

"Thanks, but it's not fair that I take my frustrations out on you." She said calmly, removing her hand from her chest.

"Can I ask a personal question?" Steve asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

"You know everything in my files, but sure."

"Ever since the plane, I notice that when you get upset, you put your hand on your chest to calm yourself. Why do you do that?"

She wasn't prepared for that question. Almost any other question she could give an answer to, but that one would tell way too much about her life. A part of her life she wanted to keep in the past. How was she to answer the question without lying to the man who had been nothing but nice to her? As she opened her mouth, his phone rang.

Steve looked down at his phone, "It's Max."

Steve answered the phone and put it on speaker phone. "Max."

"Commander McGarrett, I have your test results."

"Great Max, I have you on speaker phone with Azucena and myself."

"Hello Miss. Santiago."

"Good Morning Dr. Bergman."

"I ran your DNA against each other and you are full siblings. Meaning you share both the same mother and father. I have sent the lab analysis to your email for your review, if necessary."

Steve had known all along, but he just needed this confirmation. He knew Azucena had been in the same boat. "Thanks Max, I really appreciate your help on this."

"Anytime Commander." And with that Max ended the call. Steve looked to the young woman in the hospital bed, "Well, that answers that question."

"I suppose it does." She answered, surprised by the relief that coursed through her person.

"So where do we go from here?" Steve looked at her, trying to let her decide the direction of their relationship. She wasn't able to answer, as Malia walked into the room, "Good Morning Azucena."

"Good Morning, Dr. Waincroft." She smiled. Malia looked to Steve, nodding at him, "Commander."

"Dr. Waincroft." He greeted her using her title. They were friends, but in her place of business he wanted to give her the respect she deserved.

"I think the swelling has gone down enough around your eye that we can remove the bandages and see if your vision has been affected. How does that sound?"

"That would be nice."

"Do you want privacy?"

"Apparently Steve is family, so we can let him stay." She teased and then she second guessed herself, "Unless you have somewhere else you need to be."

"I'm just fine here." He answered with a smile. He stood up and moved towards the end of the bed, allowing Malia access to her patient.

Malia approached her patient and made small talk while she removed the bandages around her eye. "Congratulations on finding out you both are family. That is quite exciting. I heard last night was a little rough."

"It wasn't one of my finer moments." Azucena responded, talking to Malia as if Steve wasn't there.

"Have you ever had a panic attack before?"

"Once or twice, but nothing like that."

"Would you be open to taking an anti-anxiety medicine on a regular basis to help you through the healing process of your attack?" The first layer of gauze over the eye had been removed, but the next layers were sticking. Malia worked to wet them down, knowing that would help ease them from her skin.

"Honestly, I'm not big into medicines."

"Fair enough, but let's talk about if something like last night happens again. What's your plan?"

"I have no idea." She answered honestly, "I know how to calm myself if I can recognize something as upsetting, but I've never had anything like that."

"Do you know what set it off?"

"Talking about the man that did all of this to me."

"We call that a trigger." Offered Malia, as she delicately ran her fingers over the wet gauze, "Have you ever heard that before?"

"Uh huh." She murmured, as she winced. Malia was trying to be gentle, but her face was still pretty tender.

"Do you think it would help you heal if you talked about what happened and how you felt about it?"

"I'm a pretty private person. Opening up about getting the snot beat out of me doesn't really sound like my cup of tea."

"So how do you plan on moving past the trauma of the attack?" asked Malia. She understood victims were most often hesitant to discuss their ordeal and the pain associated with it. It was part of her job to help her patients find peace.

"Take it one day at a time." Answered Azucena honestly, "Probably not what you wanted to hear."

"It doesn't matter what I want to hear. The only thing that matters is getting you any help you might need. So when you leave the hospital, I'm going to send you home with a mild anti-anxiety medicine. That way, if anything like last night happens, you have the medicine if you need it. Sound good?"

"I can handle that." She answered, trying to keep her face perfectly still.

"Before you go back to Kansas, I'll get you some information on places that can provide support for what you have been through. You can utilize the information if you want."

"Okay." Answered Azucena, the light from the room finally hit her bad eye. Malia had finished removing all the bandages from that side of her face and she could tell things weren't right.

"It's going to take a few moments for your eye to adjust to the light." Offered Malia.

Azucena looked to Dr. Waincroft and she was didn't look right, "You're fuzzy."

"That's what I was afraid of. We are going to keep your eye uncovered. It's been weakened because we have had it covered the last few days to treat the cuts around it and let the swelling around your eye go down. Now we are in a waiting game. A strike to the face can cause your vision to change. However, it can be temporary or permanent. Unfortunately, only time will tell."

Azucena nodded in understanding. There really wasn't anything else to say about it.

"Do you have any questions?"

"I feel pretty decent right now. I know it won't last, but when can I get out of here?"

"This is a very good sign. I want you to eat something and then if all goes well, we will get you moved out of ICU this afternoon."

"I'll take it."

"All right, I'll send in a nurse to help you get some food ordered and pending how that all goes, we will get you out of ICU."

"Thank you, doctor."

"Of course, if you need anything, don't hesitate to have me paged."

"Thanks Doc." Offered Steve, as Malia left the room.


	12. Chapter 12: 20 Yards or 20 Miles

**There is a wonderful guest reader who leaves the most uplifting and positive reviews after reading. I just want to say thank you so much for your note each time I post a new chapter. I never know if people like this story and your notes are always so uplifting. Thank you very much!**

After Malia left the room, Steve turned to look at Azucena. With the bandage removed from the other half of her face, he could see her high cheek bones. Her face was still a little puffy, but there was no doubt that she had inherited his mother's cheek bones. He realized now he was letting himself see all the similarities he had seen all along, but hadn't allowed himself to verbalize internally.

Azucena had become self-conscious as Steve stared at her. She gently brought her hand to her face and tenderly felt her injuries, "It's pretty terrifying, isn't it?"

"No, that's not what I was looking at." He tried to reassure her, leaning forward against the foot of her bed. "When I was a kid, I remember my mother had these incredibly high cheekbones. I noticed you have them too, but I wasn't allowing myself to recognize that they were a genetic hand-me-down until Max confirmed it."

"Our mother, what was she like?" she asked, testing the waters with the use of the word 'our.'

"She was firm but fair." He paused, he had to let go of his anger with her at this moment and share the mother he remembered. Not the mother who faked her death to run off and be a CIA agent. "As a mother, she was everything you expected. She made dinner every night, she sewed all our Halloween costumes growing up, she was the Den Mother of my Cub Scout group, and she loved us fiercely.

"Whenever I would get sick as a kid, I can remember she would rub my back until I fell asleep. On cold, rainy days she would make tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. She always cut the sandwiches into four triangles.

"In school she was a tough teacher. She expected a lot from her students. Mary and I always knew that school was a priority. Anything below a B wasn't acceptable in our house." He paused; he hadn't allowed himself to think about his mother in a long time. He missed her. "What do you remember of her?"

"My memories of her are very hazy." She paused, "I can remember that she smelled of lilacs and she was very loving. She had this laugh that was so sharp. As a kid, I imagined that it cut your ear when you heard her laugh. That's all I really remember."

The nurse walked in at that moment. She was overly cheerful, "Dr. Waincroft has informed me that you are ready for food and we are also going to get you up and out of bed. Our goal is to get you to walk down the hall and back before we feed you. How does that sound?"

"I will do about anything to get out of this bed." Azucena smiled.

"All right." The nurse turned to the Commander, "You're going to have to leave the room for a few moments. We are going to unhook her from a few cords and then if you want to walk with her, you are more than welcome to."

Steve exited the room and waited. While he waited, he pulled out his phone and texted Catherine:

 _Hope your flight was good. Miss you already. Ready to come back? It was good to have you back. Max called this morning and confirmed everything._

Eventually the curtain in Azucena's room was pulled back to reveal that she was unhooked from all cords with the exception of the IV running into her hand. She was sitting with her sock covered feet hanging over the side of the bed. The nurse had placed a walker in front of her and strung the IV up to a rolling pole. He watched her push herself into the standing position; he could tell that she didn't want any help. Her stubborn streak was shining through.

He walked to the doorway of her room. "You're upright."

"It's a step in the right direction." She said, as she grasped the walker in front of her. The nurse looked to her, "Someone will have to walk with you."

"I got it." Offered Steve. He stepped next to Azucena and wrapped his hand around the rolling poll that held the IV bag. The nurse looked to Azucena, "Your goal is to make it down to the first set of doors. If you get tired, just holler and we will come with a wheelchair."

"Sounds good."

The nurse exited the room. Azucena stood next to the bed, looking at the doorway. She was leaning slightly forward on the walker.

"You okay?" questioned Steve.

"Yeah, does your watch have a timer on it?" She inquired. Steve grinned, she was competitive.

"Sure does, just say when and I'll hit the start button." He answered, as he fiddled with his watch. He was watching her out of the corner of his eye. She had a determined look on her face. It was the same look she had when they were running through the tunnels in the bunker.

"Go." She said as she stepped forward. She was motivated, but he could see she was experiencing some discomfort from the broken ribs and the bruises to her lower back and kidneys. Her gait was uneven and unsteady, but she managed. She kept putting one foot in front of the other. Before too long, they had made it out of the room and down the hallway.

"How are you feeling?" Steve asked her.

"I'm fine." She responded. She didn't want to focus on the pain that struck her every movement. Her goal was moving forward. She wasn't going to be this slow for very long and she was going to get her speed back. She mentally recited her original running mantra, "Long and strong. Don't look back. Never again."

Azucena decided it would help to hear Steve talk while she focused on putting one foot in front of the other. She turned her head to see him watching her, "Tell me about Mary."

"Mary." Steve paused, he wanted to tell the best about Mary, but he also wanted to be honest. "Mary is a tenacious wild child. When my mom died, my dad shipped us off to the mainland."

Steve stopped, and corrected himself, "When our mom faked her death, our father sent us to the mainland to live. Mary was sent to live with our Aunt Deb, our dad's sister. Aunt Deb lives in Los Angeles. Mary embraced everything LA had to offer. Needless to say, she doesn't always make the best of decisions. However, her heart is always in the right place."

"What does she do for a living?"

"Depends on the week." Steve answered honestly.

"Fair enough, we all grow at different rates." Azucena offered politely. They were about ten feet away from the turnaround point. She felt every muscle in her body, every single broken or cracked rib, and she could hear her pulse in her ears. None of that would stop her. She continued to repeat her mantra in her mind, "Long and strong. Don't look back. Never again."

She continued past the doorway. Steve spoke up, "This is the turnaround point."

"I know; we turn around at two more patient rooms." She stated. He could see the strain this was taking on her body; there was a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead. However, if she wanted to go two more patient rooms, he would support her.

"Jack and Clara," Steve questioned, "What were they like?"

"Wonderful." Her voice softened, "God was looking out for me when he sent me their way."

She paused for a minute, to catch her breath. They had reached the end of the second patient room and Azucena shuffled the walker around. Steve looked to her, "You okay?"

"Yeah." She began the march back towards her room, "They had both retired by the time I arrived on their doorstep. However, they had purchased the town diner, so there was always something going on.

"Jack could grow anything. Every summer he would grow the most amazing vegetable garden. His tomatoes were the best. He never met a stranger. He could talk to anyone about anything. He was just a likeable guy.

"Clara was more reserved than Jack, but the woman could cook and bake. She was patient enough to teach me every dish. She had a plethora of recipes, both for the diner and for special occasions.

"They were always supportive of me. Whenever I struggled in school, they would sit down and help me understand the assignment. There were rules, but there was a reason behind every rule.

"Every day after school, I would sit at the counter in the diner and do my homework. Once that was done, I could go play with my friends. We ran all over town. When dinner time would roll around, Jack would step outside the diner, put his fingers in his mouth and let out the loudest whistle you ever heard. It could be heard all over Silver Pond. That was my queue to head back to the diner for dinner."

By this time they had made it back to her room. She sat down on the bed and said, "Time?"

"Eleven minutes and thirty-six seconds."

"That is absolutely ridiculous." She answered, disgusted and proud of herself in the same instant.

"You did amazing." Steve offered, "Think about it. You've been down for about five days and are recovering from multiple broken ribs and bruised kidneys."

"Can you write down the time on a slip of paper? What do you think that was, about twenty yards?" she asked, as she continued to sit like a bump on a log, her feet still hanging off the side of the bed.

"Yeah, I can do that." He watched her sit there, not moving. "Do you need help getting back into the bed?"

"Nah, just want a moment before I am relegated to the same spot I've been for the last five days." She answered in a playful manner. Secretly, she was exhausted and the last place she wanted to be was back in the hospital bed. She wanted her bed with her blankets and her pillow. She missed home. She missed Jack and Clara.


	13. Chapter 13: A Friendly Interrogation

She continued to sit with her legs hanging over the side of the bed. Steve had scribbled the walk time on a piece of paper and watched her. He could see her hold herself upright with her arms extended into the mattress. He watched as she battled internally with returning to the bed. He immediately knew what she was thinking when her eyes landed on the recliner.

She scooted to the edge of the bed and was beginning to push off when Steve interrupted her actions, "How about I scoot the recliner over near you? You've already walked quite a bit today."

She was thankful; her entire body was drained of energy, "Thank you."

Once the chair was situated closer to her, she pushed herself off the bed and shuffled to the recliner while leaning on the walker. Steve moved the IV pole to match her movements. Once in front of the chair, she tried to slowly lower herself into the recliner. However, her arms were weak from lack of use and she ungracefully collapsed into the chair.

Steve lunged to help catch her before she landed, but he wasn't quick enough. The landing jarred each and every injury, the agony overwhelming. She clenched her eyes shut, gripped the armrests of the chair as tight as possible, made a whimpering noise, and then breathed through the pain that rushed her system.

"You okay? What can I do?" he quizzed her, as he crowded her space.

"Just give me a minute." Her eyes still clenched shut. He watched as the pain eventually subsided and she started to relax a little. Eventually, she was able to scoot back into the chair and just sit, "I'm sorry, I just couldn't get back in that bed right now."

"I understand." Steve answered, "I'm not very good at sitting still myself."

"Being stuck here at the hospital must be killing you then."

"Nah, it gives me the opportunity to get to know you better." He answered, more honestly than he had expected. He watched as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the chair. "Do you need to sleep?"

"Lord no," she exclaimed, "I'm so tired of sleeping. My body just needs a moment to rest."

"Are you sure you're okay."

"I'm good, I promise." She paused, "So the SEALs. Was that the initial plan or did that just happen? I honestly don't know how that works."

He took the other chair in the room and turned it to face her, "Initially no, but once I joined the Navy I decided to apply. There is a written test, a physical test, SEAL training in Illinois, and then it all culminates in BUDS training that takes place in Coronado, California."

"What does BUDS training consist of?" She asked, her eyes still closed.

"It's a 24 week course that involves mental and physical conditioning, combat swimming, weapons and demolition training, parachute jump school, and then a qualification test."

"Very impressive." She paused, "Your girlfriend, is she a SEAL?"

"No, currently the Navy does not allow women SEALs." It was at this moment he realized this had turned into a friendly interrogation. He could tell she wanted to know just as much about him as he wanted to know about her.

"She's military, what does she do?"

"She's in Naval Intelligence."

"How'd you guys meet?" she inquired.

Steve was a little sheepish about the whole thing, "I was her commanding officer when I first met her. Once I changed positions, we started dating."

Before Azucena could ask her next question, the nurse popped into the room with a tray of food. "Well, you made that walk a lot faster than I expected."

"I found it to be terribly slow, if we are being honest about it." Answered Azucena.

"Would you like to move to the bed?" the nurse asked cheerfully, as she placed the tray of food on the rolling table.

"No thank you. I'm content here at the moment."

"Very well, I'll place this food here." She said as she slid the rolling table over the Azucena. "We'll get you hooked back up to the monitor and when you are ready to move back into the bed, just let one of us know."

The nurse took the electrodes from the heart monitor and connected them back to her patient. Azucena was polite about the whole episode, but she was honestly tired of people invading her personal space and touching her.

It surprised Steve how easy it was for him to read the young woman. She had almost the exact same mannerisms as Mary. He could see how hard she worked to be polite and accommodating to the day nurse, but he could see the irritation radiate off of her in waves. He remembered from the plane that she didn't like people touching her and he could tell she definitely didn't like to be fussed over.

When the nurse bounced out of the room, he could see her visibly relax. He raised his first question, "Does she make you nervous?"

"No, I just don't like people in my space." She answered, as she looked down at the tray in front of her. It was what she had requested: applesauce, a sliced banana, water, and a cup of hot tea."

"Are you a vegetarian?" Steve questioned, as he glanced at the food in front of her. Azucena laughed as she tore open the teabag and placed it in the hot water, "Goodness no, I was raised in cattle country. I like a good steak as much as the next person. Pork is hit and miss in my opinion, those animals are dirty; and I can gut a fish quicker than most guys I know."

She dunked her teabag in the water and looked up at him, "When you aren't chasing bad guys, what do you do in your free time?"

"Surf, swim, run, and occasionally Chin and I go spearfishing. I also have an old Mercury Marquis I'm restoring." He answered, and then he raised his next question. "Joe White, do you trust him?"

"Absolutely not." She countered as she wrapped a hand around the cup of hot tea. She realized she couldn't keep her hand steady enough to hold it still, so she wrapped both hands around it and held it in front of her chest. She looked him in the eye, "Do you?"

"I used to, but after meeting you, I honestly can't say I do." She could hear the disappointment in his voice. It was subtle, but she could pick up on it. She was curious, "He was important to you?"

"Yeah, Joe and our father served together. He has always been a part of our family, but when our dad shipped Mary and I back to the mainland, Joe was the closest thing I had to family there."

"Why did he send you and Mary away?"

"He didn't think we were safe on the island anymore. We were told our mother was killed by a drunk driver, but my father found evidence that pointed to the Yakuza. He was afraid the Yakuza would come after us."

"That's terrifying."

"Yeah, he did what he thought was best to protect us." Steve took in her features, even with the black and blue bruising and swelling of her face he could tell that she was a beautiful young woman. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Nah, school is my priority at the moment. How long have you and Catherine been together?" she inquired, as she took her first sip of tea. He watched as she closed her eyes and savored the flavor.

"Off and on almost four years."

"She isn't stationed here?"

"No, she's station on an aircraft carrier." He answered, and then volleyed his next question to her, "Do you have any hobbies?"

"I run to stay in shape. Cooking is how I unwind. I'm an avid reader and I love to fish." She paused, reviewing what she said and then she laughed, "That sounds like a terrible dating profile."

Steve laughed with her, "What's your favorite dish?"

"To cook or eat?"

"Eat."

"Clara had this white asparagus risotto recipe she would make, hands down favorite. You?"

"My mother's lasagna." He looked at her. He was curious if Doris had ever cooked lasagna for Azucena. "I have her old recipe card at the house. Did she ever cook it for you?"

She thought about it, "I can't recall."

"I have a serious question." He watched her. She met his eyes and nodded her head. He read that as permission to proceed. "When my team ran you through the system, they found a sealed record. However, when I read your DCF and CIA files, there is no mention of that record."

"Hmm . . ." she offered as she bowed her head over her tea and took a sip. Steve watched the monitors behind her; he had noticed that her pulse had sped up slightly.

"What's in the record?"

"It's sealed for a reason."

"We reached out to the judge who sealed it." He offered. She knew the judge would never allow that record to be unsealed, but she also knew as tenacious as this man was, he wasn't going to let this go.

Azucena looked him directly in the eye, her voice was softer. "I made a decision when I was sixteen that had consequences I never imagined. The judge recognized that I didn't need that decision and the results following me around my entire life, so he sealed the record. I'm not a criminal."

"I didn't think you were." He offered softly. He realized what she had told him was all he was going to get out of her on the subject. He was curious, but figured as he got to know her more, he would eventually find out. "Why did you quit dancing when you were sixteen?"

"I've danced since I was three years old. As much as I love it, I was taught school was my first priority. I also helped around the diner, so my time was stretched thin."

"It's just in all the reports about you, it seemed that you were very dedicated to dance and then you abruptly stopped."

"I was also in high school, interests change."

"Was it a boy?"

"No, definitely not a boy. I took on the role of evening cook about that time. I knew I was going to need money to put myself through college. No school was going to give me a scholarship to dance, I wasn't exactly Julliard material." She put the empty tea cup on the tray in front of her and pick up the fork. Her hand was shaky. She knew it was a combination of her body being exhausted and the emotions that were running through her. She was honest with him; nothing she had told him was a lie. She just hadn't told him everything.

"You're a leftie." He said, gesturing to the hand holding the fork that had speared the sliced banana. He was trying for levity.

"Yeah," she smiled, she recognized his effort, "What were your interests in high school?"

"I was quarterback for the Kukui High football team."

"Were you any good?"

"I broke all the state records my sophomore year. It really eats away at Chin."

"Why does it bother him?"

"They belonged to him before I broke them." He smirked. She laughed, "I could see where that might rub him the wrong way."

He became serious and leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. He looked at her, "I'm going to say something and I don't want you to feel pressured. However, I do want you to seriously consider what I'm about to say. You don't have to make a decision today, just promise me you will think about it."

"Okay." She answered cautiously, as she consumed the last of the sliced banana.

"We both know WoFat is out there and he has gone back underground. We don't know when he is going to resurface, but you and I both know that he believes we have information he wants. If you go back to Kansas, I can't protect you.

"I know living in Hawaii is expensive, but I have our parent's house. The mortgage has been paid, so I only pay utilities. There are plenty of rooms in the house, you're more than welcome to move in and live there while you go to school.

"The University of Hawaii at Manoa has a nursing program and I have a friend that can help pull strings to get you in. It's a bachelor of science, so it's a full four year program. We can look to see if your credits will transfer. It's about a 30 minute bus ride to the campus from my house or about a fifteen minute car ride."

She was surprised and she was certain her facial expressions showed it. She had been concerned about returning home when they discharged her from the hospital and how she would adjust her life to take WoFat and his minions into account. She had never imagined or expected this.

"Umm, I'm not certain what to say, but thank you. That is awfully generous of you." She offered, and then her mind rattled with so many questions and thoughts.

"If our mother hadn't have run off and worked for the CIA twenty years ago, I firmly believe we would have been a family. I know there is a sixteen year age gap between us, but I have no doubt that our family would have been close. I guess, I just want you to know that this can be home for you."

"I am sincerely grateful for your offer and I will give it the serious consideration it deserves. Welcoming a stranger into your home and life is quite a gesture and for that, I'm extremely thankful." She answered, speaking from her heart. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kono walking down the hall towards her room. "Looks like your replacement is here for the afternoon shift."

"Yeah, Kono's hanging out this afternoon. I have a few loose things I have to tie up, but I'll be back for the night. Hopefully by that time, you will be out of the ICU ward."

"Check out the change in location." Exclaimed Kono, as she walked into the room. Steve stood up and offered Kono his chair. She took it as Steve ambled over to Azucena.

Azucena wasn't certain what came over her, and Steve was just as surprised, as she slid the rolling table to the side. Using most all of the energy she had regained, she pushed herself out of the chair. Steve reached out to offer her support with one arm. She reached out with both arms and wrapped them around his broad shoulders and whispered softly, "Thank you."

Being cautious of all her injuries, Steve gently returned the hug.


	14. Chapter 14: Deliberation

Danny entered the Palace and was surprised to see Steve in his office. He altered his course and headed straight for his friend's office, "Babe, thought you were hanging out at the hospital all day."

"Nah, I have to finish up some paperwork for the police in Lawrence. I just got off of the phone with them. She is officially no longer a missing person. Kono's up there right now, I'll go back tonight."

"You hear anything back from Max yet?" quizzed Danny.

"Max confirmed what WoFat and Joe told us, we have the same parents."

"Congratulations! That's exciting news."

"Yeah, it is pretty exciting." Steve reflected, "I haven't figured out how I'm going to tell Mary. Let alone, I can't fathom how Mary is going to react to the entire situation."

"Mary is probably going to struggle to wrap her head around everything. I mean, you've had about five days and I think it is sinking in. Mary is going to take a little time, but she will come around."

"She's going to have to. I asked Azucena if she wanted to move in and finish her studies out here."

"That's pretty quick. What did she say?"

"She hasn't really said anything yet. She thanked me for the offer and is giving it the serious consideration it deserves." Answered Steve, the worry in his voice overwhelming, "Danny I can't protect her if she goes back to Kansas. There is nothing I can do to keep WoFat from going after her again."

"Even if she stays here, you can't protect her every moment of the day. She's going to want to lead a normal life. I can see how determined and self-sufficient that kid is."

"I know that, but I would just feel better if she were out here. Then I would be able to keep a better eye on her and know that WoFat hasn't gotten her. Is that crazy?" Steve asked, exasperated.

"No babe, it's not crazy. That's the protective big brother in you. I watch you do the same thing to Mary any time she comes home. Remember when you had Kamekona babysit her?"

"Yeah, it wasn't one of my better ideas."

"No, but your heart was in the right place." Offered Danny, as he slouched down into the chair across the desk from Steve. "If you offered her the chance to stay with you, you must trust her."

"At first pass, I have no reason not to trust her. Everything she has said to this point matches her files with DCF and the CIA."

"She tell you what was in the sealed record?"

"She said she made a decision and the repercussions of which, she never would have imagined. The judge didn't want the results to follow her around, so he sealed it. She point blank said, 'I'm not a criminal.'"

"We all did foolish stuff when we were young. This one time, my cousin Dominic and I snuck into the movie theater and switched theater after theater. We watched about five movies that day. Amazingly, we didn't get caught."

"Yeah, I did some stupid stuff too." Offered Steve.

"You good?" questioned Danny.

"Yeah buddy, I'm good."

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

Azucena and Kono spent the afternoon talking and most of the time laughing. There was a two hour time frame where Azucena passed out and slept. The walk from the morning had zapped her energy and she was definitely weak.

When she awoke, the nurses moved her from the ICU ward to a private room. It was a nice change. The nurses in the ICU were delightful, but she felt like she was in a fish bowl under constant surveillance. She didn't like the continuous monitoring and people in her business. She appreciated the security Five-0 was offering, but even that was stressing her.

She determined it was best to focus on things she could control and she had a heavy subject on her mind. The conversation she had with Steve earlier in the day was weighing on her. There were many factors to take into consideration. Her mind kept wandering back to something her mother always said, _Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres_. Tell me who you walk with and I'll tell you who you are.

It was basically the same thing Jack always told her about the people who came into the diner; _you can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep_.

Steve's friends were extremely loyal. She realized these people worked for him, but she could see the underlying friendship and love they had for each other. They showed it in different ways: traveling half way across the world to save their friend from the hands of a maniac, Kono teasing Steve on the plane, Danny bringing Steve clean clothes to change into after the first night in the hospital, and the outright affection Catherine showed Steve when she arrived at the hospital. Granted these were all small glimpses into one person's life, but her limited exposure showed how important he was to his friends.

Her interactions with him had been nothing but genuinely kind; his willingness to undo the restraints and hold her hand while she was intubated and scared, sharing memories of their mother, and the ultimate show of kindness being the invitation to move out here and stay with him while she finished school. All of this pointed to this being a good idea and she wanted to opportunity to get to know her brother and sister, but there was the fear of letting another person get close to you. The fear of losing more people she loved. Everyone she loved had been killed or died, with the exception of Frog and Tommy. Was she willing to let more people into her life and run the risk of losing them? The old phrase ran through her head with her twist tacked onto the end, _Everything King Midas touched turned to gold. Everything I touch turns to death._

It was quite a risk to take. Do you allow another person in, letting them see your strengths and weaknesses? It was one thing that Frog and Tommy knew everything about her. They watched her fall apart when she was twelve and Clara passed from a stroke. They knew about the sealed record and what happened on Valentine's day. They watched her meltdown in the cemetery after Dean's funeral and they held her hands during Jack's funeral. They were safe, but was Steve?


	15. Chapter 15, Decisions

Steve lightly knocked on the door to the room. Upon entering, he saw Azucena asleep in the hospital bed and Kono was flipping through another pile of surfing magazines, "Hey Boss."

"How'd the afternoon go?"

"Pretty good until she saw her reflection in the bathroom mirror."

"How bad?"

"Pretty intense." Offered Kono, "But I gotta be honest, I think I would have the exact same reaction."

"I understand," he responded, rubbing his hand across his chin, "get out of here. Have a good evening."

"You too Boss." She answered, as she gathered her stuff.

Steve sat down in the recliner located next to her bed and leaned back. He found the remote on the rolling table and turned the television on, volume set to low. He flipped the television to ESPN and just listened, zoning out. He wasn't certain how long had passed when he heard her voice, "Well, that's definitely not _Wheel of Fortune_."

"You're awake." He responded.

"Yeah, and I feel like a freaking freight train hit me." She said, as she tried to adjust herself in the bed.

"Need help?" Steve offered, as he started to get up.

"Nah, stay put. I'm fine." She found the buttons to adjust the bed and pushed the up button, elevating her torso even more. The movement agitated her ribs, but she realized this was a fact of life for the next few weeks. She just breathed through the pain.

Steve could see her face contort with the pain, "You want me to get a nurse to give you more pain medicine?"

"Please don't." she said, shaking her head as she finished situating herself. She pulled the blanket up higher. "How was your afternoon?"

Steve watched her closely until she finally settled. He stayed in the chair, but turned his body to face her, "Productive, you are no longer considered a missing person in Lawrence."

"That's good news."

"I sent the police department pictures of WoFat, so if they see him they can arrest him on site."

"I won't hold my breath." She responded, knowing the odds of him popping up there any time soon were slim to none.

"Fair enough, what did you and Kono do today?"

"We did a lap down the hallway. It was thrilling." She said, sarcastic excitement filled her voice.

"Did you beat your time?"

"Unfortunately no, however tomorrow is a new day. Hopefully I can beat it then." She offered.

"You eat dinner yet?"

"Yeah, that was interesting."

"What did they bring you?"

"Well, honestly it looked like a cross between a jellyfish and an alien in chicken broth. Kono told me that it was the local version of chicken and noodle soup. She called it chicken and long rice noodles. Once I got passed the appearance of it, it was pretty good."

Steve chuckled to himself, he grew up on chicken and long rice noodles. He could see it might be a little different if it wasn't something you were used to.

"You know this dish?"

"Yeah, I grew up on it; just like Kono and Chin. I think Danny's description of it when he saw it for the first time was similar to yours. He might have called it chicken and clear gelatin strings. It took him quite some time to get past the appearance." He was still laughing a little as he remembered Danny's reaction.

"How long has he lived here?"

"About a year and a half, he moved out here to be closer to his daughter."

"How old is she?"

"Six, Gracie is a good kid." Steve reflected, thinking about the little girl that was basically his niece.

"You're all pretty close, aren't you?" she questioned.

"Yeah, we're ohana." He answered. She looked at him, perplexed. Steve looked at her and then remembered ohana was a local word. One she never would have heard, unless she had seen _Lilo and Stitch_. Grace had introduced him to the movie one weekend, after they had spent most of a Saturday on his beach and needed to come in for some downtime and shade. "Ohana is Hawaiian for family."

Azucena made a sound of understanding and nodded her head. It was at that moment, she found her nerve, "You don't have to answer this, but can you tell me about our father? I mean, if it's too much, that's okay. You don't have to"

Steve looked at the young woman and could see a genuine interest in learning about their father. He could also feel the tightening of his throat when he thought about his father and how he had lost him. How he felt like it was his fault his father had been killed.

Azucena saw his face change, it became almost hardened. She took pity on him; she understood as she had lost Jack only four months prior. Some days it was easy to talk about him, it kept him alive in her world. Other days, it took every ounce of energy to think about him and not burst into tears. She looked him in the eye, "You know what, maybe another time you can tell me about him."

"No, you deserve to know about him."

"And I will, but it doesn't have to be today. Tonight we can sit here in this room, turn our brains off and watch whatever this show is on the television. I figure, if I'm going to live with you, I'll have time to learn about him and the rest of our family."

It took Steve a moment to process what she had said. When it finally registered, he looked at her. She could see the excitement spread across his face and she couldn't help but smile in return. Steve looked to her in confirmation, "So you're going to stay?"

"If the offer is still on the table, then yes. I figure it would be foolish not to take the opportunity to see another part of the world and get to know the family I never knew existed."

"Of course." Steve answered; happiness could be heard in each word.

"There are some things we need to discuss, though." She countered. She wasn't certain how to approach it, but it needed to be said.

"What's on your mind?"

"Please don't get me wrong when I say this. Your team is made up of incredibly lovely people and I like each and every one of them. I also understand the reaction to have me guarded while I'm in the hospital and we don't know what WoFat is doing. That being said, this constant guarding of me can't continue. It's not fair to you, me or your people."

Steve understood and he wasn't surprised that this was the first thing she brought up. He nodded his head in agreement, "Once you are out of the hospital, my team will no longer guard you."

"Well, that went way better than I thought, I don't have anything else. I'm assuming you have rules in your household?"

"Nothing too terrible, although Danny says staying at my place is one of the worst things ever."

"Why would he say that?"

"He doesn't like listening to the waves at night. He says it sounds like water torture."

"What does he prefer?"

"Infomercials."

"He seems very nice, but he might be disturbed."

"I know, right?" offered Steve, with a smile on his face. "I really don't have any rules, just pick up after yourself and I try to stick with the Navy rule of three minute showers."

She looked at him and then she picked up a handful of her own hair. "You see this mess? It's thick and heavy; a three minute shower is probably not going to happen with it. I'll try my best, but in all fairness, I'll just pay the water bill. That work?"

He smiled and nodded his head, "That would be just fine."

"I'm eventually going to have to go back, get my stuff and clean out my apartment. I'm also going to have to find a job. I don't have any form of identification on me, so I don't know how I'm going to book a flight."

"Don't worry about that tonight, I know of a cheap way to get us back to Lawrence and get you packed up." She heard it, in that moment, she heard him talk about the both of them as family. This was real.

Steve looked over at her, "Like you said earlier, tonight we can turn our brains off, watch a show, and deal with the future tomorrow."

"Works for me." She said. They spent the rest of the evening watching a movie until both of them fell asleep.


	16. Chapter 16: The Corridor

**I'll admit that part of this chapter is fluff, but the other part is important. So bear with me, sometimes we all need a little brain candy. My goal for the next chapter will finally get her out of the hospital, thank goodness! As for the wonderful reviews, thank you all so much. They truly make my day.**

 **#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~**

 _The corridor was long, wet and dark. She could hear their feet slapping against the wet cement as they ran the length of it. The thumping of her heartbeat in her chest and the pain of each breath she took as she continued to sprint through the underground bunker. In her mind, she could see the blood ooze down his face from where she broke his nose. She didn't dare close her eyes._

 _She heard his voice echo through the desolate tunnel. It was a sick, sing-song voice, "A-zu-ce-na!"_

 _The tunnel was coming to a T and they would have to decide which way to turn. She glanced over at Steve, "Which way?"_

" _Left." He panted, and gestured with his left hand._

 _As she turned the corner, Steve wasn't by her side. She couldn't hear him. She could only hear WoFat's voice, repeating her name in that horrible tune. She glanced to her right, he wasn't there. She continued running while looking back and yelling his name, "Steve? Steve?"_

 _She didn't dare stop, but the instant she turned her head to see the path ahead of her, she ran into him. Woods was standing in front of her. That same sick grin on his face, and his musty cologne was even stronger in this dark, dank tunnel. She screamed, terror filling her body; she turned to run in the opposite direction, but she couldn't because there stood WoFat. She was trapped._

Steve awoke to his name being mumbled in Azucena's sleep. He could tell that whatever she was dreaming was not pleasant. She was trembling in her sleep and her movements were becoming jerkier by the second. He spoke softly and calmly to her, "Azucena, you are safe here. He isn't here."

He reached out to touch her hand and the second before he made contact, she lurched forward in the bed, screaming while tears ran down her face, "No, no, no, not again!"

Steve reached out to hold her hand and provide comfort; she fought against him. She clawed at him with her fingernails and swung her arms in thrashing motions; all the while Steve calmly talked to her until she recognized the hospital room and was no longer trapped in her dream. The instant she realized where she was, she threw herself into his arms and sobbed, random words coming out in gasps, "WoFat . . . Woods . . . wasn't fast enough . . . Not again."

Steve held her to his chest and whispered softly to her, "Shhh . . . it's okay. You're safe now. He isn't here. We aren't in the woods. We are in the hospital. You're okay."

The nurses burst into the room, but Azucena was oblivious to the interruption. She was still fighting the terror of her nightmare. Steve continued to gently rub her back, while she cried into his shirt. He looked to the nurses, and mouthed the words, "Nightmare."

They nodded and exited the room. He held her and whispered words of comfort, while he gently rubbed her back and the massive mane of red hair. The pain from the sobbing and movement started to overtake the terror in her body and she started to collapse in on herself and whimper.

"Hey, let's get you situated." He said, as he gently held her back and helped her lay on the bed. He watched as she avoided all eye contact. He could see the fear and terror in her face, but in that same instant, he watched her fear turn to anger. He knew the instant her eyes landed on the IV in her hand what she was going to do.

He reached out and placed his hand over hers, as her other hand reached for the needle, "Not a good idea."

"No more drugs, I can't keep doing this." She answered, avoiding all eye contact with him. He sat down on the edge of her bed; while still holding the hand with the IV, he took his other hand and gently hooked it under her chin. She pulled back from him, all but jumping out of her skin. He had scared her, he recognized it immediately.

She put her good hand on her chest and took a deep breath. Each breath hurt, but she had to calm down, she had to focus. When she had finally found some semblance of balance, she opened her eyes and looked into his worried gaze, "I understand you are helping, but you can't put your hand under my chin like that. He did that."

Steve understood, he remembered each time WoFat had lifted her chin so she would look him in the eye when he questioned her. He also remembered the time he squeezed her cheeks so tight that he could still see the bruises his fingers had left behind. "I'm so sorry, I didn't think."

"It's okay, it's not your fault." She paused, "Sorry I woke you up."

"You don't need to apologize."

"This is terribly embarrassing and downright ridiculous. I'm almost nineteen years old and I'm having nightmares."

"It's actually pretty normal." Steve offered, he took her hand back into his and gently stroked her palm, leaving the IV alone. "You know, I've traveled all over the world as a SEAL and I had a few missions that didn't work out as expected. Terrible things happened and there are nights were I wake up in a cold sweat or screaming out names, terrified I'm still there. It's normal after what you have been through."

She knew exactly what he was talking about. She had been through it before and had mostly conquered it. Now WoFat had brought it all back. He brought back the memories, the terror, and now the dark, dank corridor that housed him and Woods. She spoke, her voice barely a whisper, "I need it to stop."

"I know kiddo, I know." He continued to stroke the palm of her hand, and brought his other hand up gently and slowly to her cheek. Using his thumb, he softly wiped away the stray tears that were sliding down her cheeks. "You want to tell me about it?"

"Not really." She answered, honestly. Then she thought about it, maybe putting it into words would take away some of the power. It had worked in the past. She trusted him, but wasn't ready to share everything. She took a deep breath, the pain in her ribs overwhelming, but she pushed through. "We are running through the corridor in the bunker. WoFat is chasing after us. I can never see him behind us, but I can hear him. He's yelling my name, in a sing-song way. It's downright creepy.

"In the dream, the corridor ends in a T, and we have to decide to go left or right. You tell me to go left and I do, but you disappear. Then he's there and I can't get away from him." Fresh tears start again and Steve gently wipes them away, "I'm not gonna disappear on you, kiddo."

"I know, thank you." She answered, quietly. She softly squeezes his hand, "Now, can we remove this IV? I think the pain medicine is making everything worse."

"How about we talk to Malia about it in the morning? I'm pretty certain between your ribs and kidneys that medicine is making life bearable."

"It really sucks when you're logical, you know that?" she answered, trying to add humor to her voice. He chuckled to himself, "Good to know."

"Kiddo, huh?"

"Well, you are younger than me. I figured it works." He answered, honestly. He wasn't exactly certain where the term had come from, but it did seem appropriate.

"Fair enough." She smiled; her body finally calming down. She wasn't tired, but she knew he was. "Want to hit the lights? I'll try not to freak out on you again."

"If you're ready to try sleeping again. And just so you know, you can freak out any time you need to." He said with a smile on his face as he stood up from the edge of her bed. She pulled the blankets up as he reached for the light pull, "Ready?"

"Yeah." She nodded. He pulled the chain and the lights went out. He climbed into the recliner and pulled the blankets up over himself. He closed his eyes and prepared to go back to sleep. He hadn't had his eyes closed for a minute when in the dark he heard, "Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a good brother. Thanks."

He smiled to himself, "You're a good sister, now get some sleep."


	17. Chapter 17: Leaving the Hospital

The next few days blended together. Five-0 had pulled a case, so Chin had been relegated to hospital duty with a tablet, and the other's worked the active crime scene and interviewed witnesses. Azucena's hospital room became headquarters for the team.

Each morning and afternoon Azucena could be seen walking the halls with Chin by her side; her IV pole in her hand and Chin's tablet in his. He was good company, and Azucena quizzed him on previous cases and team dynamics. Malia took lunch in Azucena's room and the three of them built a good friendship.

Each evening, Steve would return to the hospital and they would take one more lap down the hall before crashing. The nightmares presented themselves as usual, but with the change in medicine from Malia they weren't as hard to wake up from.

It was on the third evening that Malia greeted Azucena with good news, "Looks like we are going to be discharging you tonight."

"Those words are music to my ears, Doctor Waincroft."

"I can only imagine." Malia responded, "However, before I release you we have some things to talk about."

Malia looked at Azucena, then to Steve and back to Azucena. The young woman looked at Malia, "He can stay. It's fine."

Malia nodded her head and started, "Your ribs are going to be terribly sore for another two weeks at least. It will be another five weeks before they are completely healed. I've prescribe a pain reliever for you. I want you to take it as necessary. Otherwise, you can stick with an NSAID.

"Your kidneys are healing, but they are going to be tender for another week or two. You shouldn't pass any more blood, but if you do, you need to call me right away.

"I have prescribed an anti-anxiety medicine for you, in case you have any more panic attacks. Lastly, I would really like for you to talk with someone to help you process this attack. I have given a referral to a very good doctor that I trust. I put her card in the bag with all your medicines. Please call her and make an appointment.

"You need to come back in one week so I can remove the stitches on your torso. Treat all the cuts with Neosporin twice a day and you can resume regular activity as soon as it is comfortable for you. My best advice, if it hurts, back off and let yourself continue to heal. If you feel like something isn't right, please don't hesitate to call me."

"Thank you Dr. Waincroft. I really appreciate everything." Azucena responded as she took the baggie of medicines and business cards from Malia. She placed in on the bed next to her. Malia smiled at her, "An orderly will be in shortly to escort you out of the hospital."

With that Malia turned and left the room. Steve pulled out the small sack of clothes he brought with him the previous night. He had given some money to Kono and asked her to pick up some clothes for Azucena; at least until they could go back to Kansas and pack up her belongings. He placed the clothes on the bed next to her, "I'm going to step outside. Holler if you need anything, okay?"

"Sounds good. Oh, and thanks again. I'll pay you back when I can access my accounts and everything."

"Don't worry about it." He waved it off, as he headed for the door. Azucena rummaged through the bag and found a pair of thin, loose gray cotton pants, a green shelf-bra tank top, a gray light cotton jacket and black flip-flops. Kono was a wonderful woman. There wasn't a chance in hell Azucena would be wearing a bra anytime soon, the tank top was the perfect solution.

It took some finagling, a few swearwords and a handful of moments to breathe through the pain of putting on real clothes, but Azucena was thrilled with the fact she had real clothes to wear. As she was slipping on the flip-flops, there was a light knock on the door. She hollered, "It's open."

Steve and the orderly walked into the room. Steve spoke up, "Real clothes, must be a nice change."

"You have no idea." She answered, her smile stretching to each ear. Her face was still bruised, but all of the swelling had gone down. Half of the bruising was beginning to turn green and yellow; while the other half was still the dark purple. It was going to take time for her face to heal properly.

The orderly pushed the wheelchair next to Azucena, and she sat down in it. She looked up to Steve, and he smiled down at her and said, "Let's go home."

When the orderly had delivered her to the front of the hospital she stood up out of the wheelchair. Steve placed his hand on her arm, "I'll be right back. I'm going to bring the truck around."

"Let me walk with you." She requested, as she soaked in the sunshine. She could feel the sun's rays shining on her face and it made her happy.

"You sure?" Steve asked. She smiled at him, "Yes, please."

He kept his cadence slow enough so he wouldn't exhaust her on the walk to the truck. He watched her out of the corner of his eyes and he could see her face gravitate towards the sun. He could tell she was enjoying the warmth of the sun and the natural light on her skin.

When they finally made it to his truck, he pulled open the passenger door for her. She evaluated the distance between the ground and the cab, thankful there was a running board she could step on. She realized this was going to require her using muscles that were still sore and angry.

Steve offered her a hand, and she took it, while she gripped the seat with her other hand. She stepped up to the running board and using every battered muscle in her torso and back, pulled herself into the pick-up. She sat down on the seat and breathed through the pain coursing through her body.

"You okay?" Steve inquired.

"Mmhhh" she nodded as she continued to slowly breathe, her eyes closed. She reached back over her shoulder and found the seatbelt. It was amazing how the most simple tasks were draining her of energy and causing her incredible discomfort. She pulled the seatbelt across her body and clicked it into place.

Steve watched her buckle the seatbelt around herself and he could see the pain each movement cost her. He could tell that even the simple walk to the truck had drained her of most of her energy. When she snapped the buckle into the receiver of the seatbelt, he could read the agony that overtook her body. He watched as she pulled the upper strap away from her chest and reset it against less painful parts of her trunk. She was stubborn.

"You good?" he asked, leaning into the truck.

"All set." She responded. He closed the door to the truck and walked around the other side. Deftly pulling himself into the truck, he inserted the key and turned the ignition. He could see out of the corner of his eye, she was already staring out the window. He wondered if she had ever seen palm trees and the ocean in real life.

He pulled out of the parking lot and navigated early evening traffic. She looked out the window the entire ride, but it didn't stop her from asking questions, "About how far from here do you live?"

"About twenty minutes." He answered, he could tell she was enjoying the drive, but he could sense a hint of uneasiness rising in her. She would make a terrible poker player.

"Do you live downtown, in the country or the suburbs?"

"I live in the suburbs." He offered extra information, in hopes of calming her fears, "This is the house Mary and I grew up in. You can have the spare room upstairs. It was always a guest room when we were growing up. All the drawers are empty and I put some spare clothes Kono picked up in the dresser for you."

"Thank you very much." She responded, he had noticed her constant need to thank people. He couldn't tell if it was her raising or being from the Mid-West. He knew a few guys from the Mid-West and they were just as polite, but in Teams there wasn't a lot of thanking that went on. More "Yes Sir" and "No Sir." He figured asking might help put her at ease.

"You say 'thank you' a lot. Is that from Jack and Clara or is that a Mid-West thing?"

"Does it bother you?" she asked, as she tried to figure out what it was.

"No, I just noticed you are very polite."

"I honestly think it is a combination of a few things." She answered, as she ran her hand across her collarbone, like she was looking for something. "When I arrived at Jack and Clara's I was so afraid that if I wasn't polite, they would send me away. I never wanted to break any rules because I didn't know what the next foster family would be like. I had no need to worry though, Jack and Clara were amazing and even on my worst days, they loved me unconditionally.

"But growing up in a small town, you are polite to everyone because sooner or later, you will need something from someone. You never want to be disrespectful or rude because everyone is related to someone. Also, I think as Mid-Westerners, we are just ridiculously friendly and polite."

He chuckled at her observations. He understood, growing up on an island, was probably a lot like a small town. The other part of her answer saddened him, never knowing if your "family" was going to be done with you. That had to be difficult, "Was it hard, not knowing if you were going to be moved to a different family?"

"In the beginning, yes. I was hesitant to get too attached to anything. Tommy and Charlie were the only two I let myself become close to. But before too long, I realized that Jack and Clara were in it for the long haul. They wanted children and could never have them. I was their answer and believe me; we got into enough mischief for them to rethink wanting children."

"I've heard you talk about Tommy, but not Charlie."

"Charlie was the best coonhound you ever met. He wasn't very good at hunting, but he was the most loving creature. The first few days after I arrived, I remember he slept on the foot of my bed. I think he knew how sad and lonely I was because he didn't leave my side. He was this big ball of black and brown fur with the droopiest ears and eyes you ever saw. I loved that dog."

Steve smiled at her memory and she interrupted his thoughts, "Did you ever have any pets growing up?"

"No, our mother was allergic to dogs."

"No cat, huh?"

"Nope." Steve wondered if the allergy to dogs was real or if it was a ploy to not allow him and Mary to be attached in case they had to move. The more he thought about Doris and his childhood, the more he questioned everything about it. At least in Azucena's case, she didn't have to question anything, her mother died and her life was shaped by people who truly cared about her.

"My question has got you thinking and questioning things, doesn't it?" she quizzed. He pulled into the neighborhood and thought it best to be honest with her, "Yeah, because I know she didn't die; it makes me wonder what else was a lie."

"I can see the dilemma." She responded as Steve pulled into the driveway of the house. The trees and lush plants were gorgeous to Azucena. She stared in wonder at all flourishing flora and fauna around the truck, "This is where you grew up?"

Steve smiled at her shock, and shook his head, "Yep, this was my home until I was sixteen."

He had such good memories of the house and their time there as a family. Until that horrible evening, when the police officer showed up on their door step. He felt like nothing positive had happened at this house since that day. However, he knew he was wrong. He had multiple team gatherings at the house and they were always a good time. He knew he just needed to change his point of view.

"It's like living in the Garden of Eden." She exclaimed.

"Only difference is there are no snakes here." He responded as he opened the doors and slide out of the truck. She wrinkled her brow in deliberation and she unclicked her seatbelt and opened the door. Steve had come around to her side of the truck, assuming she would need help down. She looked at him, as she extracted herself from the truck, "Are you pulling my leg?"

"About what?" he questioned, looking at her curiously.

"Your comment about snakes; this island is a rainforest. There have to be snakes." She asked as they walked towards the front door of the house.

"Surprisingly, we have only one snake and it lives in the zoo. The mongoose was brought over in the 19th century to address a rat problem in the sugar cane fields. Unfortunately the mongoose didn't do anything about the rat problem, but they did address all snakes on the island."

"Seriously?" she questioned, as Steve unlocked the door and held it open for her.

"I'm serious." He answered, chuckling to himself at her complete surprise by the random factoid he had provided.

He watched her reaction as they walked into the house. She took in the sight of the living room and then immediately closed her eyes. She took a deep breathe, or as deep of one she could take without pain overwhelming her. She couldn't smell the lilac scent she remembered growing up, but there was something else that was familiar. "What's that smell?"

"Sandalwood." Steve offered, watching her breath in the scent. He had found reed diffusers with the scent and placed them all over the house. The smell reminded him of their family and the happy times. When Doris was alive, their house always smelled like sandalwood. Azucena smiled, and opened her eyes, "She burned sandalwood incense when I was little. I didn't know what the smell was, but at I grew older I was always curious."

Steve pointed to the stairs behind him, "Your room is upstairs third door on the left; bathroom is the second door on the left. My room is the first door on the right."

She nodded at him and smiled; she stepped further into the living room and noticed a picture on the wall. It was a man in a police uniform. She studied him closely, knowing exactly who this man was. Steve interrupted her inspection, "That's our dad, John McGarrett."

"He was a ginger, a light one, but ginger nonetheless." She offered, finally understanding how her hair came to be, a combination of Claudia and this man. Steve responded, "Yeah, and his sister is even more so."

She inspected his blue eyes; this was the person who had given those to Steve. It was a combination of this man and her mother that had given her green eyes. She could see Steve's nose in this man, but not her own. She spoke up, "He's fair."

"Yeah, just like you." Shared Steve.

"Did he ever get freckles?"

"Yeah, when we would hike or spend the day on the beach, his freckles would become more pronounced." He realized she was finally seeing the other half of herself. Her entire life, she had never seen a picture of this man. She had never known anything about the other half of her DNA, thanks to Doris. He felt selfish for not telling her more about him earlier. He at least knew both of his parents; as much as he could know them.

He watched as she wandered into the dining room; she focused immediately on the family picture from when he was 15. He moved to stand in the doorway and he watched tears form in her eyes and quietly run down her cheeks. She raised her hand, almost to reach out and touch the picture of their mother. He could barely hear her whisper, "She was so pretty."

He nodded his head as he watched the young woman; she reached back to her collarbone for something that wasn't there. Her words were soft, "We lost everything in the fire that night. I never had a picture of her, so my memory was always hazy. Her hair is shorter than when I knew her. It was long, down her back."

"That picture was taken about nine months before she left us."

Azucena switched gears immediately, wiped the tears from her cheeks and pointed to the young girl in the photograph, "This is Mary?"

"Yeah, she was in junior high in that picture."

"And you," she giggled, "You were quite a looker with that gelled up hair."

"Hey, I'll have you know that the girls loved my hair." He retorted, with a smirk on his face.

She took in all the other pictures in the dining room. Steve hadn't really looked at them too closely in a long time. Now that she was viewing them, he was reminded of the good times; the family hike to the petroglyphs, a day spent deep sea fishing, and his favorite, all of them on the beach behind the house. Him and Mary varied in age in each of these pictures, but they were all fun pictures of his childhood.

She continued to walk the parameter of the room, taking in all the pictures, until she came to the back door. She glanced outside and saw the giant trees and the serene ocean; she looked at him in shock, "This is your backyard?"

He smiled at her reaction; he forgot how fortunate he was to have this at his doorstep. He unlocked the sliding door to the lanai and gestured for her to pass through first. She stood on his covered lanai and took in the beauty that surrounded them. This truly was heaven on earth. Who would ever want to leave?

She took in all the tall, full magnolia trees and the birds of paradise that dotted each of the flowerbeds. She recognized the brightly colored plumeria and hibiscus. There were so many flowers she didn't recognize. There weren't enough words to describe the beauty that surrounded her, "This is gorgeous."

Steve watched her smell each of the flowers and then like everyone else, she was slowly drawn to the water. She stood behind the chairs that sat on the beach and took in the beauty of the evening sun shining on the ocean. The waves gently lapped the shore and she was silent.

Steve settled into a chair, "You can sit down."

"Incredible" she said, as she slowly and gently settled into the chair. She slid her flip-flops off and sunk her feet into the sand. They sat in silence for a good half hour, just enjoying the sounds of the ocean and birds.


	18. Chapter 18: The First Night Home

He watched her take in the surroundings of his backyard and then as she relaxed in the wooden chair on the beach. He could only imagine how uncomfortable the chair was on her battered torso, but she was so enthralled in the scenery and sounds surrounding her, he could tell that she wasn't going to say anything. She was enjoying herself.

Eventually, he turned to her, "You hungry?"

"A bit peckish."

"Huh?" Steve questioned, as he looked at her in confusion.

"I could eat. You?"

"Starving!" he responded, he stood up and reached out a hand to her. She took it and she slowly stood from the chair. She slid her feet back into her flip-flops and followed him back up to the house.

As they padded into the kitchen, Steve pointed to the bar stool that stood next to the island, "Have a seat."

She stood at the sink and washed her hands; then followed his direction and sat on the stool, "What can I do to help?"

"You up for cutting up peppers and onions?"

"Sure, what are we making?"

"Chicken fajitas." He said, as he placed a knife, cutting board, and vegetables in front of her. He stood across the island from her and sliced the chicken into strips. He knew her childhood had been spent in a kitchen and she found cooking relaxing. He didn't realize it applied to prep work too.

When the peppers and onions were sliced, she asked to know where the pans where. He pointed to a cabinet and once she had pulled it down and set it on the stove, he lightly nudged her to the side, "You need to be resting. There's a recliner in the living room or you can sit on the barstool and talk to me."

"I'm fully capable of cooking." She replied.

"I know, but you are still healing and it's your first night out of the hospital. Let's not overdo it." She settled onto the barstool and watched him cook. She didn't know what to talk to him about. Normally their conversations were pretty easy flowing, but she felt weird. She wasn't certain if it was because she was in his house or if was because he was cooking and she wasn't helping. Sitting still was not in her nature.

She glanced around the kitchen and her eyes landed on a calendar. That's when it finally hit her, all the lost time. His calendar showed December. WoFat had grabbed her the Tuesday prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. She had been held captive over the Thanksgiving holiday and brought back stateside to heal during the final days of November. She smiled to herself and ran through a mental list of all the things to be thankful for: surviving WoFat, being found, receiving much needed medical attention, and finding family.

Steve watched her, as she stared at the calendar. He quietly interrupted her thoughts, "It's Friday, December 3rd."

"Huh?" she turned to look at him, not hearing what he had said.

"It's December 3rd." He paused, letting her take in his words, "I'm guessing you realized that November has come and gone and you are trying to figure out what day it is?"

"Partially," she responded, "I realized Thanksgiving had come and gone. I was thinking about everything I have had to be thankful for from the last few weeks."

He smiled at her response; it wasn't what he had expected. "What did you and the Pressgrove's do for Thanksgiving?"

She smiled, she loved Thanksgiving. It was one of her favorite holidays. Thinking back to all the wonderful memories that holiday brought forth, "Well, the diner was always closed on Thanksgiving. The night before, Clara and I would make a few pies and we would take them home from the diner for the holiday. Jack was always up early, so he would put the turkey in the roaster. As the morning progressed, we would make the usual side dishes: mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans, rolls, cranberry dressing.

"Tommy and his younger siblings would come over in the morning and we would watch the parade. Then they would go home and our family ate at noon. There were always left overs, if you got hungry during the day. Then the guys would come over and we would play football or basketball, depending on if there was ice on the driveway.

"The day after Thanksgiving, the diner would be open and we would decorate it and the house for Christmas. What about you guys?"

Steve listened to her memories; he really believed her life had been better with Jack and Clara. Not that Doris didn't do justice with each of the holidays when he was growing up; he just figured they would eventually be spending their lives on the run and that wasn't the life for a kid. He shook himself out of his thoughts, "We always had Thanksgiving dinner around 6 in the evening. The morning was spent playing a game of football and then the afternoon was spent prepping the meal and watching football on television. I think we ate most of the same things you described."

He poured the cooked chicken into a bowl and a separate bowl held the cooked peppers and onions. He threw the tortillas in the microwave as Azucena stood to find the plates. Once she located them, she looked to him, "Dining room table or island?"

"Table is fine." Answered Steve, as he walked the bowls to the dining room. She followed with plates and napkins. Eventually all the necessities had been set on the table and they each took their seat. They handed each other various bowls and condiments as they discussed what the future held. Steve was the first one to speak up, "Tomorrow is Saturday and I have the day off, if nothing comes up."

"I will cross my fingers for you."

"I was thinking it would be a good idea for you to rest up and continue to heal this week. Next weekend, we can take a flight from here to Andrew's Airforce Base and then onto Ft. Riley. We can drive to Lawrence and pack up your apartment. Would that work for you?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan." She responded, then she paused. "Is there a Lutheran church near here?"

"I think there is one about two miles from here." He paused, "I'm not certain when their services are, but we can look online after dinner."

"That would be wonderful, thank you. Perhaps I can check my email too? I'm sure my professors have sent a few notes I need to review and get caught up on."

"Azucena," Steve responded, "this is your home. You are more than welcome to use whatever you need to use. There is a laptop in the office, and you can check your email and work on any assignments you need to complete."

"Thanks." She said, softly. They discussed various things as they ate the rest of their dinner. Afterwards, they cleared the table, washed the dishes by hand, and put everything in its place. Steve started up the laptop and left her to review her email.

He wandered into the kitchen, pulled a Longboard out of the fridge, and responded to the missed texts from Danny and Catherine. He could hear her fingers flying over the keyboard. He chuckled to himself; she had definitely grown up around computers.

She hadn't been wrong; her email was out of control. There were emails from classmates, asking why she wasn't at study groups and then notes stating that they had seen her listed as a missing person. It was the emails from Frog and Tommy that really hit her. After texting and calling, they had given up and sent emails. _Where are you? Are you safe? What's going on? Let us know, seriously!_

She wasn't certain how to tell them what had happened; but figured out of everyone in her life, she owed them an answer.

 _Frog and Tommy,_

 _I don't even know where to begin and honestly, if either of you told me a story like this, I would think you were lying to me. However, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I was kidnapped from my apartment by a crazy man. He flew me half-way across the world and beat the ever-loving snot out of me until another man would tell him specific information. Needless to say, I found out that the other man (not the crazy one) is my brother. This just sounds insane as I type it!_

 _I didn't believe it at first, but after returning stateside, recovering in the ICU, and a DNA test; it turns out this man is truly my brother. I'm currently at his house in Hawaii and in the next week will fly back to Kansas to pack up my apartment and move out here with him. He is very nice, and I look forward to getting to know him. Remember Joe Reed, the old man that would pop up in the diner? Well let's just say, he knew all about this man and never told me. He knew way more about my life and never let on. He knew my mother!_

 _You both know me; I wouldn't normally trust this man. However, once you meet him, you'll understand. He has pictures of my mother, from before I was born. It sounds crazy and if either of you sent me an email like this, I would think you were absolutely insane. Don't worry about me, I'm good._

 _You guys remember how beautiful old Cripple Creek always looked in the spring, when the flowers and Cottonwood trees started to bloom and the cold water ran slowly under the Low Water Bridge? His house reminds me of that, it's safe and calm. I'm safe and calm. I miss you both and when I have my cell next week, I'll call._

 _Love to you both,  
Red_

She responded to a few other emails, wrote down the remaining assignments that she could do without access to her text books, and then searched for a local church. She wasn't exactly a religious person, but she always felt better after talking to the Big Guy on Sunday. Jack and Clara had raised her to believe in the Big Guy Upstairs, and she did. She didn't always agree with the interpretation of the sermon, but she liked listening to the music and talking to the Big Guy while the Pastor spoke. It might have been her holding onto a connection with Jack and Clara, but it wasn't one she was ready to give up.

She eventually shut down the laptop and found him sitting on the sofa in the living room, watching the news, and drinking a beer. She gingerly sat down in the recliner, curled up into a comfortable position and listened to the news. At some point in time, she dozed off.

 _She could hear the slap of their feet against the wet cement. Her lungs were on fire and it felt like her heart would beat out of her chest. It didn't matter how fast they ran, she could still hear WoFat's voice, "A-zu-ce-na!"_

 _In her mind, she could see the blood pour down his face. She had broken his nose. However, hearing his voice, she knew they weren't safe. He was out there. Story of her life; they were always out there. It didn't matter how far away you ran, they would find you._

 _She looked to her right; Steve was keeping pace with her. He gestured to turn left, and when they reached the end of the corridor, she hooked left. It was dark and wet. She couldn't see a foot in front of her face in this hallway. She continued to run, "Steve?"_

 _She couldn't hear his breathing. She couldn't hear his feet slapping the ground. She was alone; but she wasn't alone. WoFat's voice rang through the darkness, "A-zu-ce-na!"_

 _It made her sick to her stomach. She slowed her jog to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. She felt it before she saw it. Whatever she had run into was soft and bony. Then she smelt it; the musky cologne._

 _She back-pedaled. She didn't need to see him to know it was him. She ran back towards the light of the other corridor. Before she could reach it, WoFat stood there, blood oozing down his face. She turned back to look down the tunnel and behind her, she could see the smirking face of Woods. Trapped._

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

As Steve had watched the news, he watched her out of the corner of his eye. He knew she wasn't going to stay awake much longer. She was still recovering and even though she fought it, he could read the fatigue in her body. He wasn't surprised when he looked over and saw the young woman passed out asleep on the chair, legs curled up underneath herself. He wasn't certain how she could be comfortable, but she was dead to the world.

He flipped the television over to the sports channel and listened as the reporters talked about the latest scores and the upcoming games this weekend. Who was favored to win and the point spread. That is when he heard her whimper. He knew this sound; he had learned it over the last week. It was the sound of terror and it was normally followed by his name and then a scream.

He knew better than to touch her. He learned that the first night, when she came at him with her claw-like fingernails. He put his beer down, slid over near the chair and softly said her name, "Azucena, you're safe."

He was preparing to repeat himself, when her body startled awake and her eyes flew open. He knew she didn't see him right away, so he sat still; allowing her to take in the sight of the room. Her hand flew to her chest as she scanned the room. He was surprised, she hadn't screamed tonight. He counted that as progress. He repeated himself, "You're safe. He isn't here."

She continued to take deep breaths and held her hand to her chest. She focused on each breath and then looked at him, "How bad?"

"You didn't even scream this time." He responded proud of her. It was hard to wake yourself up from a night terror; especially since it had been a short amount of time since the kidnapping. He knew it was going to take some time. She would get there, Lord knows he had.

She dropped her hand from her chest and held her hands together. They were shaking. She would get past this, she told herself. She had before.

She changed the subject, "What time is it?"

"9:10."

"I'm gonna brush my teeth and go to bed."

"Sounds good, holler if you need anything." He said, as she untangled herself from the chair, gingerly stood up, and slowly climbed the stairs. She slowly padded down the hall to her room, turned on the light, and took in the room.

It was a simple room, a full-sized bed in the corner with a Kelly green comforter on it. A dresser was placed against the opposite wall, and a chest of drawers and a chair sat next to the light switch. This was minimal, just like she was. Leaving the light of the room on, she went in search of the bathroom.

After brushing her teeth, she inspected the disaster that was her face. She softly washed the parts that didn't hurt terribly, and then popped some ibuprofen, chasing it with sink water. She padded back down to her room, and closed the door behind her. Every muscle in her body told her to lock the door, but her head and her heart said she was safe.

She walked to the dresser and found a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top. Either Kono really liked short shorts, or she didn't realize how tall Azucena was. However, Azucena was just thankful to have something to sleep in.

The young woman looked out the window that peered out over the ocean. The moon was reflected off of the water; it was a gorgeous sight. However, Azucena was jaded. As much as she would have liked to listen to the waves crash against the shore, there wasn't a chance in hell she was sleeping with the window open. It didn't matter that she was on the second story. She reached for the window and tried to lift it, ensuring that it was latched closed.

She pulled back the covers, flipped off the light switch, and crawled into bed. Her body hurt, her mind raced, and she stared at the ceiling. She could hear the wind as it danced through the trees and pushed against the old house. She heard Steve's footfalls when he climbed the stairs to turn in for the evening. She stared at the ceiling for hours, hearing every minute sound the house could make. Eventually, in the early hours of the morning, she found sleep.


	19. Chapter 19: Settling In

**I've been stuck the last week and a half on this chapter. I know where I want the story to go and I have some wonderful ideas, I just need to get these characters past this week. It's a tough one to write for some reason, but bear with me.**

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She wasn't certain the hour when she awoke, but the sun was just above the horizon. Her body ached and she was definitely awake. The way her bruised muscles and battered ribs were screaming, there wasn't a chance she would be able to fall back asleep. She pulled herself out of bed, pulled the cotton pants on from the previous day. The sleep shorts were way too short to leave her room.

She opened the door to her room and took in the absolute stillness of the house. She didn't want to wake Steve, but she couldn't lay in bed any longer. She softly stepped onto the wooden floor of the hallway and prayed it didn't squeak. As she neared the entrance to the bathroom, she could Steve's door was open.

She peered into his room from the bathroom doorway and saw his bed was fully made. He was already awake. That took a weight off of her shoulders. She wasn't as worried about being quiet. She turned the light on in the bathroom, and went about her morning routine. Before all was said and done, she had managed to brush her hair and weave a low braid. Her ribs were screaming by this point, so she downed some ibuprofen and chased it with sink water.

She wandered down the stairs to the living room and it was empty. She made her way into the kitchen and still, no Steve. She did see a scrap of paper on the island:

 _Azucena,_

 _Went for a morning swim. I know you are a tea drinker, so I picked some up at the store earlier this week. Check the cabinet to the left of stove. If you're really hungry, feel free to make something. However, if you can wait for me, I'll introduce you to Loco Moco._

 _Steve_

She wandered over to the kitchen window and noticed a towel thrown over one of the chairs by the water's edge. The view was amazing. She wondered if he ever got tired of it or if he didn't realize how amazing it was. She decided to make a mug of hot tea and sit down on the beach while she waited for him to finish.

She rummaged through the kitchen and failing to produce a proper teapot, she just microwaved a coffee mug and let a teabag steep in it for a few minutes. When all was said and done, she drifted down to the beach, stopping to smell various flowers in the fresh morning air. There was a slight breeze off the water.

She curled up in the empty beach chair and enjoyed the view. The birds danced across the sky and occasionally diving straight down to catch a fish and fly off. The sound of the waves lapping against the shore and the wind dancing through the trees calmed her. Eventually, she just closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her skin.

Steve was about one hundred yards from shore when he sighted her. He could see she was balled up in one of the chairs on shore. Nothing about how she was sitting appeared in the least bit comfortable, but she seemed oblivious to the rest of the world. As he swam closer, he could see a coffee mug wrapped in her two hands, pulled tightly to her chest. It reminded him of the morning in the hospital when they allowed her to eat food.

Steve eventually made his way to shore and he could tell the instant she heard him; her eyes popped open. As he slogged through the water towards shore he spoke, "Good morning, how did you sleep?"

"Well, how about you?"

"I slept like the dead." He answered in response.

"I bet it was much more comfortable than the hospital recliner you have occupied the last few nights." She offered up, as she took a sip of tea.

He grabbed the towel from the chair next to her and started to dry off, "It was a vast improvement."

He wrapped the towel around his shoulders, and collapsed into the chair next to her. She had placed a mug of coffee on the armrest of the chair, he pointed to it. "Is this for me?"

"Yeah, I wasn't certain how you take it. Years of waiting tables makes me think you take it black, but I could be wrong. You could be a milk and sugar kind of guy."

"Black is perfect." He answered, he knew this was going to throw her, "The only way it could be better is with butter in it."

She turned her head and stared at him, "Butter?"

"Yeah, it's a Teams thing."

"Sounds like a heart attack thing." She responded with a smile in her voice.

"Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it." He playfully responded, sipping his coffee.

"Thanks for the tea."

"Don't mention it." He looked out over the water.

"How far do you swim?"

"About a mile and a half; on really bad days I'll swim two to clear my head."

"Do you do it every day?"

"Yeah, I normally follow it with a run."

"How far?"

"Three to five miles, depending on my mood." He responded, "What about you? In the hospital you said you still run."

"Yeah, I'm ready to be back at it. Most days it's seven or eight, but it really depends on my work and class schedule."

"Have you eaten yet?"

"No, but I'm very concerned about the meal describe on your note."

"You're concerned about Loco Moco?" he asked, confusion clouding his face.

"Where I come from," she paused, realizing that wasn't an accurate statement. She wasn't Argentinian, she was American. This was the first time it really hit her, the lies and how they had shaped her. She corrected herself, "In the language I grew up speaking, Loco Moco translates to Crazy Buggers. So, that has absolutely no appeal."

Steve gave off a deep belly laugh. He hadn't thought about the translation of the local cuisine when he wrote it out. To him, it had always been Loco Moco, the Hawaiian dish. "Now that you say that, I can definitely understand your hesitation. It does not contain any buggers. It's a local dish comprised of rice, a hamburger patty, fried egg and it's all covered in brown gravy."

"Wow, that is quite the concoction."

Their jovial moment was interrupted by the ringing of Steve's cell phone. It had been sitting on the chair's armrest while he was swimming. Steve looked down and saw that it was Danny calling. He knew this meant there was a case waiting for them. He looked to his sister, "I gotta take this."

"No worries." She continued to watch the waves roll in against the shore while Steve answered the phone.

"Danno."

"Hate to do this buddy, but we got a case." Danny announced, genuine disappointment in his voice. He knew Steve was looking forward spending the day at home with Azucena. Introducing her to the island and making her feel comfortable. It frustrated him that crime ran their lives. He understood the disappointment he heard in Steve's voice, "Text me that address, I'll be there in about twenty minutes."

Steve disconnected from the call with Danny and looked to his sister, "I hate to do this to you."

She interrupted him with a smile, "Please don't apologize for helping someone. I understand your job and I'm truly thankful there are people like you and your team that do what you do."

"You going to be okay here by yourself?" he asked with genuine concern.

"Yeah, I have some papers I need to write to get credit for three classes, so I can start on those today. However, I'm going to enjoy this beautiful morning right here in this chair for a little while longer."

"There's food in the fridge for breakfast and lunch." He stood up, looked down at her and paused, "You're pretty fair. If you decide to spend more time outside there is sunscreen in the laundry room."

"Thank you."

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Danny could see the disappointment in Steve's body language the instant he climbed out of his truck. Danny walked up to him, "I'm sorry man."

"Don't worry about it." Steve answered, surveying the crime scene.

"How was her first night at the house?"

"She did good; she's enamored with the backyard."

"Most people would kill to have a beach in their backyard."

"Nah, it was more the flowers and plants she was interested in. The beach was just an added bonus." Shared Steve, "I'm worried about her being by herself."

"We'll check on her at lunch." Answered Danny, he knew the fear of WoFat and what he was capable of doing. Danny was certain WoFat was still underground, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.


	20. Chapter 20: Going Home

As the week progressed, they found their stride in living together. Steve kept to his routine of swimming and running each morning and Azucena conned him into walking in the evenings with her. She wasn't going to be able to run for another few weeks, but she was building her stamina with long evening walks. Steve shared highlights of his day with her and she shared the topics of her papers and how they were coming along.

Most days, Danny and Steve stopped by for lunch. Azucena was an incredible cook and Steve was truly surprised by her abilities. He realized her skills in the kitchen were going to force him to start running a few extra miles, but he also enjoyed not having to cook for himself.

The week had passed and they spent Friday night preparing for the trip to Kansas. Steve pulled out two Navy issued duffle bags, for her belongings on their return trip. As he was stuffing a few t-shirt and pants into a go bag, she knocked on the doorframe to his room and interrupted him, "Do you have a sweatshirt I could borrow?"

"Of course." He answered, as he finished stuffing his shirts in his bag. He strode over to his closet, pulled out an old Coronado sweatshirt, and handed it to her.

"Thanks." She answered, "You'll want to pack a coat. It's going to be cold back home."

"How cold?" he asked, he had never been to Kansas. This would be a new place on the map for him.

"Oh, at least in the thirties, but the wind will make it seem much colder." She shared.

"You're going to need more than a sweatshirt." He said.

"Nah, I'm used to it. This will be just fine." She shrugged, "Besides, I have everything back there. We just have to drive the few hours between Wichita and Lawrence. Not a big deal."

"You sure?"

"Yep." She responded as she picked up the empty duffle bags and walked out of his room. She took them downstairs and set them by the recliner in the living room. She neatly folded the sweatshirt and placed it on top of the chair. The paperback she had been reading was sitting on the coffee table. She picked it up and placed it on the folded sweatshirt.

She felt a sense of relief rush through her body. She was ready to go home. She knew it wasn't to stay, but it felt like the beginning of starting over. This place was already feeling like home, but once she had her belongings, things would feel normal.

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The flights back had been mostly non-eventful. When they finally landed in Kansas, Steve was surprised by the cold and the wind. The drive to Lawrence was marked by vast expanses of open range, cows, and rolling hills. He had to admit, Kansas did have a certain beauty to it.

As they pulled into Lawrence, Azucena directed him through town until they reached the small apartment complex she lived in. He was surprised by how run down the place looked, "You live here?"

"Yeah, the rent's cheap, it's close to campus and I can ride my bike to work. It's convenient." She answered; the appearance of the place wasn't a concern to her. She thought it helped deter break-ins. If you looked like you didn't have much, odds are, thieves would move on to a better target. In truth, she didn't have much to steal.

"Which one is yours?" he asked, as they pulled themselves from the car.

"I'm in unit three." She responded, as she walked towards unit one. "Come on, we have to ask Mrs. Jenkins to unlock the place because I don't have my key."

Steve followed behind her, shoving his hands into the pockets of his fleece jacket. He was freezing and his sister wasn't fazed by the temperature one bit. His gray sweatshirt looked huge on her. The loose cotton pants she was wearing weren't providing any protection from the fierce, blowing wind. That's when it dawned on him; he had gotten comfortable in Hawaii.

She knocked on the door of unit one and waited. He stood behind her, trying to block the wind from hitting her. The door opened and there stood a middle-aged woman, gray hair done up in what looked like an old-fashioned beehive. The dour look on her face gave Steve the immediate impression that this would be a most unpleasant experience.

He was pleasantly surprised when the woman threw the door open and pulled his sister into a big bear hug, "Azucena, I was so worried about you!"

"It's good to see you too, Mrs. Jenkins." She squeaked out. Steve could tell the woman's grip on his sister was causing her a great deal of pain, but Azucena wasn't about to tell the woman to let go. The older woman spewed out question after question, "Where have you been? What happened to you? Are you okay? Who is this man with you? Where did all these bruises on your face come from?"

Eventually the woman released her hold on his sister, and allowed her to answer a few questions. Azucena thought it best to start with the presence of the man behind her, "Mrs. Jenkins, this is my brother, Steve McGarrett."

Steve extended his hand to the older woman and she politely shook it, "Nice to meet you, Ma'm"

He then watched his sister address the older woman's questions, "I really don't want to talk about what happened, but the good news is, I'm safe."

"That's all that matters dear." Mrs. Jenkins responded.

"My brother is here to help me pack up my apartment. I'm going to go live with him for a while."

"That's probably one of the best things you can do."

"My key is in my apartment, could I talk you into unlocking the place for me?" she asked.

"Of course dear, also I'll get your security deposit."

"Perfect, is it okay if I turn my key into you tomorrow?"

"No problem at all dear." The woman turned around in her apartment, grabbed a keyring, and walked with them down to unit three. Steve was surprised; the woman hadn't bothered to put on a coat or anything. When you grew up in the mid-west, did you just become immune to cold?

As the older woman unlocked the door to the apartment, Steve could see how WoFat's men had easily broken in. These locks were exceptionally easy to pick. The old woman unlocked the door, turned to Azucena, "Let me know if you need anything further, dear."

"Thank you Mrs. Jenkins." She answered, while a smile in her voice.

The woman turned and scurried back to her apartment. Azucena opened the door and ushered Steve into the small apartment. The air was stale, and it was colder than normal. She stepped over the mess that had been created when she fought with WoFat's men, and adjusted the thermostat up a few degrees.

Steve flipped the light switch that was next to the entrance of the apartment. The minute the light flicked on, he could see the remnants of the encounter with WoFat's men. She must have fought hard against them because there were items strewn all over the apartment. He could tell the mess was the result of a struggle and not her housekeeping skills.

"You fought hard." He said; it was a statement that hung in the air.

She hadn't wanted to think about the attack. The entire flight home she had stressed about walking into her place. She had secretly wished the police would have straightened everything before they left. However, everything was exactly the way it had been before she was knocked unconscious.

She bent down to pick up the necklace that had been pulled off in the fight. She knew it had ended up on the floor. It was a beautiful sterling silver infinity symbol on a small, silver chain. She reached around her neck and clasped it back into place. She stood up, her voice small, "Yeah."

"You want some water?" she asked, changing the subject. "I would offer you some food, but I think everything in my apartment has reached science experiment levels."

"Water would be good." He recognized that she had changed the subject. He watched her pull open the refrigerator door and pull out two bottles of water. She handed one to him.

"How hungry are you?" she asked, "We can grab some food and fuel up for an exciting evening of packing or we can start the packing, and take a break for food later. Either way works for me."

"Food sounds like a good idea."

"All right, let me throw some jeans on and grab my fleece. Then we can go down to Mass street and grab a bite." She answered, as she wandered down the short hallway to her bedroom at the end. She flipped the light switch in her room and closed the door.

Steve looked around her little place. It was small, but she definitely had made it a home. She had a small table in the corner, for meals and studying. There was a futon in what amounted to a small living room and along the countertop that divided the kitchen from the living room, there multiple framed photographs.

He took in each photograph. The first one was of Azucena when she was about ten years old. She was dressed in a solid green dress, white tights, and little black Mary Janes. He assumed she was standing between Jack and Clara. The older man was tall and skinny, his hair completely white and he was dressed in a suit and tie. The woman had shoulder length, curly white hair. She wasn't skinny, but she wasn't plump either, she was just soft. The way a grandmother should be.

The next photograph was Azucena and three boys. She looked to be about thirteen in this picture. They all had fishing poles in their hands and it was easily deduced that the four of them had spent the day fishing and wading into water. Mud was caked on their legs in various places, dirt flecks covered their faces, Azucena's hair was in complete disarray, and the day's catch was hanging on a line. Two boys were holding each end of the line and their fishing poles. While Azucena and the other boy were standing on each end, fishing poles in hand.

The next picture was the same three boys with Azucena, they looked to be teenagers now. The boys were all dressed in nice pants and button down shirts. Azucena had on a ballet costume. Her hands were held above her head in a perfect arc, while she stood on pointe in her ballet slippers. Each of the boys mimicking her pose in their Sunday best. Steve found himself laughing at these goofy kids.

There were two more pictures to take in, but by that time, Azucena had appeared in the kitchen. Steve was engrossed in each picture; he pointed to them "Tell me about these."

She walked around to the other side of the counter; she smiled as she walked through each picture. She pointed to the picture of her with Jack and Clara, "This was the day Susie Harrington got married. That's Jack, Clara and me. I was nine in that picture."

She pointed to the next one, "We spent the day fishing in Cripple Creek and were quite proud of our haul that day, so we talked Jack into taking a picture for us."

Steve stopped her, "Who are each of the boys in this picture?"

Azucena ran her finger along the frame. The tall, lanky kid with brown hair was Tommy. Dean was all muscle with his dishwater blond hair. Frog was the shortest with brown hair and glasses.

"Why do you call him Frog?" Steve asked.

"His real name is Frankie Jones, but we called him Frog because he swam like a frog." She paused, thinking back to all their adventures, "They all called me Red, because of my hair."

She moved on to tell him about the next picture. "We were fifteen when Jack took the boys to see me perform in _The Nutcracker._ The guys enjoyed the show and afterwards, Jack caught this picture of us goofing off."

She moved onto the next picture, it was of Azucena and Jack. They were standing outside the diner. Jack had a long white apron on and Azucena was dressed in a long, royal blue evening gown. Her hair was piled high, on top of her head, with ringlet curls framing her face. Steve could see the necklace she was currently wearing in the picture he was looking at, "That was the night of Senior Prom. Jack had to run the diner, so he stepped outside and we snagged a picture together."

She pointed to the final picture in the row. It was the four kids again, each in the clothing tied to their sport. Azucena was in a black leotard, pink tights, pointe shoes, and a black slip skirt tied around her waist. Tommy donned his high school baseball uniform, his hat pulled down tight, and he leaned on bat in his hand. Frog had on long basketball shorts, his school basketball jersey and a basketball resting on his hip. Dean was on the end with his football pads stretching his jersey tightly across his shoulders. His hand grasping the facemask of his helmet as it rested against his thigh. "The school put on a Halloween party for the elementary kids one year. We decided to help out and thought the easiest costumes would be our sport uniforms. Jack took this picture before we headed to the event."

She turned away from the pictures and walked over to her backpack that had been thrown on the floor. She placed the bag on the table and rummaged through it until she found her pocketbook and cell phone. Taking her cellphone, she walked to the kitchen counter and plugged it in. She found her keys on the kitchen counter and grabbed her purse from the closet, stuffing her pocketbook and keys in the bag. She looked over at Steve, who was still examining the pictures. "Ready to go grab some dinner?"


	21. Stuff: Physical, Emotional, Generational

**Thank you to all the readers who leave comments. I greatly appreciate your feedback. I'm also incredibly humbled that people are enjoying this story. I never thought this story would be as long as it is already, but I always find a new path that the characters want to run down. Thanks for your patience as I follow them.**

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As Azucena locked the apartment, she questioned Steve, "What type of food do you like: Thai, Indian, barbecue, South American, burgers, or bar food?"

"I could eat any of those." Answered Steve, shoving his hands into his pockets as he fished for his keys. She patted his arm, "I'll drive."

He followed her to the little, old Toyota Camry that was probably brand new in the early nineties. She unlocked the driver's side door and reached across to unlock his door. It had been ages since he had been in a car without automatic locks. She started the car, turned on the heater and while she let the engine run, she pulled small black gloves out of her fleece jacket. Once the car was warmed up, she pushed in the clutch and shifted into reverse. Steve was impressed, "You drive a manual?"

"Yeah, I learned when I was ten on Jack's old '55." She answered, and then they both finished her sentence at the same time, "Three on a tree."

"Most kids your age don't know how to drive a manual."

"Guess I'm just lucky Jack had the patience to teach me." She pulled out into traffic.

"You were ten?" inquired a surprised Steve.

"It was on old country roads, no one around for miles. We were perfectly safe." She answered, not thinking anything of it.

"Could you even see over the steering wheel?"

"Of course, with the help of the phone book." She joked, keeping a straight face. Steve couldn't figure out if she was telling the truth or if she was messing with him. As she maneuvered through traffic she looked over at him, his reaction was priceless, "I'm just kidding."

Steve let out a breath of relief he hadn't realized he was holding. She was ornery, and it reminded him of Mary. Mary probably would have said the same thing to him, just to taunt him. He was going to have to tell Mary, sooner rather than later.

"You're thinking pretty loudly over there." She said to him. She had noticed he was caught up in thought. She was afraid her joking about the phone book might have had him questioning Jack and Clara as fit parents. "I was always safe with Jack and Clara. You know that, right?"

"I don't doubt that for a second. I was actually thinking about how you and Mary are very similar. I was also trying to figure out how I am going to tell Mary about you."

"That's going to be an incredibly awkward conversation to have. I might suggest doing it in person and not over the phone."

"Yeah, I was thinking about inviting her and Aunt Deb out for Christmas. It might be best to just tell them both at the same time."

"Well, I can disappear for a few days, in case the news isn't well received. At least let you all have a family holiday together." She didn't want to cause a rift in their family and she could understand how this information could be unsettling.

Azucena pulled the car into a parking space and turned off the ignition. She looked over to Steve, "Ready to brave the cold once again?"

Steve gently placed his hand on her arm, stopping her from exiting the vehicle. She look at him, surprise in her face. Steve's voice was soft but firm, "You are our family. It doesn't matter that we didn't grow up together; Mary and Deb will love you like you did.

"Deb's going to be horrified that she never knew you existed. She's going to be gutted that our father never knew about you. Mary will be angry and fascinated at the same time. Angry at the lies our mother told us, but fascinated to know you exist and excited to get to know you. Do you understand you are part of our family? You will not just 'disappear' to make things easier for other people."

Azucena was a little shocked by this response; she hadn't expected such a protective reaction from Steve. She was just trying to make things a little less awkward for the rest of the family. She placed her hand on top of his, and kept her response simple, "Got it."

When Steve felt certain she understood, he tried to lighten the mood, "Did you mention Thai food earlier?"

"Thai food it is!" Azucena answered with enthusiasm. They exited the vehicle and Steve realized he was just now paying attention to the environment around him. They were parked on a side street, "Which way?"

Azucena walked up the curb and grabbed him by the arm, "Let me introduce you to the gloriousness that is Massachusetts street. Known to all college students and locals as Mass street."

Turning the corner, they were met with an onslaught of college students and families hurriedly skittering about. Most were bundled up in coats, hats, scarves and gloves; while other rebellious characters wandered the street in jeans and a hoodie. It was like any old busy street in a large city; small shops and restaurants littered both sides of the road, cars running in opposite directions, and the occasional honking at a jaywalker.

Azucena tugged at Steve's arm, "We're going this way, to Zen Noodle House. Tomorrow, I'll take you to The Vault for lunch. That's the restaurant I work at."

Steve followed along behind her; he felt like salmon swimming upstream. He had never seen her so excited, but this was the first part of her world she was able to really share with him. They walked about five more minutes until they came to a storefront, _Zen Noodle House_.

As it was late afternoon, there was no wait and plenty of tables were open. They were quickly seated and menus were presented. As Steve reviewed the menu, "What's good here?"

"The Pad Thai is good, but don't get the shrimp. You will be disappointed because you have such fresh shrimp back in Hawaii. The drunken noodles are always good as well."

The server arrived with their drinks, took their order, and quickly disappeared. Steve took in the happiness that exuded from Azucena, she was beaming. He could tell she was truly at ease and comfortable in this city. He only hoped she would find that same contentment back on the island.

"Where are your friends now?" he asked her. Her brow furrowed and she looked at him. He realized his question wasn't clear, "The guys in the pictures in your apartment. Where are they? What are they doing?"

She smiled, thinking about each of the guys she considered brothers, "Frog and Tommy are stationed in Okinawa."

"Navy?"

"Surprisingly no, they are in the Marines." She answered, "I was shocked when they were sent there. I thought that would have been Navy only, but apparently there are like, six marine bases over there."

"Okinawa has quite a US military presence. Most people don't know that."

"It was definitely a learning opportunity for me."

"What about Dean?" asked Steve. Azucena's features fell slightly, she looked him in the eye, "We lost Dean to a drunk driver our senior year of high school."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"No worries, you didn't know. It was only natural that you would ask about him." She paused, "He dated a girl from the next town over. It was about midnight on a Saturday and he had just dropped her off at her house. He was driving back to Silver Pond. The road between our two towns is a two lane highway. Unfortunately, the other driver crossed over the yellow line hitting him head on. He was killed instantly."

"My God."

"Frog, Tommy, Dean's brothers and I were all pallbearers at his funeral." She was quiet for a minute. "People don't think stuff like this happens in a small town. However, living in a small town is no different than living in a big city. The same stuff happens. It just happens on a smaller scale, but the impact is much more concentrated."

It was then that he realized how much his sister had been through. Most people don't lose three parents and one of their best friends all before college. Before he could find the words he wanted to convey about her strength, their food was set on the table in front of them.

"I hope you like the food." She grinned, "This is one of my favorite restaurants."

He smiled at her; the happiness in her just seemed to overflow. He took his first bite and was pleasantly surprised by the chicken Pad Thai. It wasn't the best he had ever had, but for being smack dab in the middle of the United States, he was impressed. He was also surprised by how hungry he was, but he assumed she was just as hungry because they didn't talk all that much through the remainder of the meal.

She made it a point to pay the check, "You've been nothing but gracious to me for the past few weeks. Paying for your meals while we are in my town is the least I can do."

He was pretty certain any argument he might try would fall on deaf ears, so he acquiesced and let her pay for the meal. As they walked back to the car, he took in the sights. He could understand why she liked this town. People here smiled at you as you walked down the street; they actually looked you in the eye. He could see where she would feel like part of the community.

Upon returning to her flat, they determined that Steve could empty the cupboards of the kitchen and all her cutlery, appliances, dishes and various other kitchen items could be donated to the local thrift shop. She went back to her room and started packing up her clothes, laptop, tablet and various other personal items. She was able to fit most all of her closet into one and a half duffle bags.

In between clothing items, she stuffed the framed pictures from her living room, a small brass mouse she had kept from Jack and Clara's house, and various other knickknacks that held special meaning to her. Her backpack was filled with her laptop, tablet, ipod, charging cables, school supplies, toiletries and jewelry. When Steve noticed all the electronics in her backpack, that's when he realized the generation gap between the two of them.

"I know you are a reader, where are all your books?" He asked, testing a theory he was almost certain of.

"They are all in the cloud of my tablet." She answered, over her shoulder as she was emptying out the linen closet. Steve smiled to himself, completely different generation.

Before they were done for the evening, everything in the apartment had been either relegated to the Thrift Shop pile, carrying back home with us pile, or snail mail to the Islands pile. Steve was pleased with their progress, but noticed the furniture was still there. "What are we going to do with your furniture?"

"I texted a buddy, he's coming for the futon, bed, and dresser first thing in the morning. If he doesn't take the table, we can set it out by the curb with a sign that says free. Someone will claim it."

He looked at her like she was crazy, she smiled to him, "We're a bunch of poor college kids; someone will claim it."

He felt old.


	22. Chapter 22

\Steve lay on the futon in the darkness of Azucena's living room. He could see the street light peek in through the old venetian blinds and he could hear the traffic outside her apartment. His mind ran through the day. Thinking about the conversation in the car about telling Aunt Deb and Mary about Azucena; he decided it was best to reach out to Mary now. It wouldn't be too late in LA yet and he was still tracking to Hawaiian time. Picking up his cell phone, he thumbed through his text messages and found Mary.

 _Hey Mare, you and Aunt Deb want to come out for Christmas?_

He didn't expect her to text back right away, but it least it started the conversation. He stared at the ceiling and thought about the day. He had watched Azucena's behaviors today and noticed she was much calmer and at peace here. She laughed more and almost seemed carefree, at least until she was ready to crash for the night.

He watched as she physically checked the locks on the door before getting ready for bed. Then she stood in the kitchen and while downing a vitamin and ibuprofen, she stared at the lock. He could see her, reassuring herself that she was safe.

He didn't say anything to her, he just watched her out of the corner of his eye. Everyone healed in their own way, and he was certain the road ahead of her was a long one. This would be the first night back in her apartment since WoFat's men had grabbed her. He didn't expect it to be an easy one.

His thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of his phone, it was Mary.

 _My work schedule would allow me to fly out on the 22_ _nd_ _, but I would have to be back on the 26_ _th_ _. I'll call Deb in the morning and see if she's up for it. She was disappointed to miss Thanksgiving this year, so I'm certain Christmas is a go. I can use my miles to get our tickets._

He was proud of Mary; she had spent the last six months working as a flight attendant and had stuck with it. He firmly believed she had found her calling with this job.

 _Sounds good. Let me know what she says and when to expect you both. Love you._

He set the phone down next to him on the futon and closed his eyes. The sounds from the street outside were not the waves that lulled him to sleep each night. After traveling across the ocean and half way across the country, driving through half a state and packing up an apartment, his body won out and he finally found sleep.

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 _She left the library and started to walk towards her apartment. It was a mile walk, but it wouldn't take too long. She was irritated with herself; time had escaped her in the stacks and she hadn't realized how late and dark it was outside. She kept her stride quick and her eyes constantly scanning the scenery around her._

 _The musky smell invaded her nostrils. She recognized it immediately. She didn't look around to see where he was hiding, she ran. She could hear the blood pumping in her ears and feel the fire in her lungs as she tried to outrun him. As she ran, she glanced over her shoulder; he was twenty-five feet behind her._

 _She focused on the sidewalk in front of her, pulling her keys from her pockets as she continued to run. She just had to get into her apartment. Once she got inside, she could lock the door, call the cops, and keep the monster at bay. This was why she ran every day. He was the reason she kept a six minute mile, no matter how far she ran._

 _Fifty yards, the apartment was in sight. She hurdled over the shrubbery that divided the sidewalk from the parking lot. With her key in hand, she slid the key into the deadbolt and turned it. Her hands shaking, she was able to insert the key into the doorknob and turn it. Pushing the door in, she withdrew the key and slammed the door shut behind her. She flipped the deadbolt, pulled the chain and then locked the doorknob. She heard him slam against the door._

 _She flicked the light switch to her left. Dropped her backpack on the floor and unzipped the top pocket, scrambling for her cell phone. As she dug deeper into the bottomless pocket, she heard someone sing her name from her room. It was the unmistakable voice of WoFat, "A-zu-ce-na."_

 _Her heart skipped, her hands continued to scramble to find her phone, she looked up and slowly appearing in the hallway from her bedroom was WoFat and his men. Behind her, Woods continued to throw his body against the door. She was trapped._

"NNNNOOOO!" she screamed out, fighting against the sheets that had twisted around her body in her sleep. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest, her ribs searing in pain from the involuntary decision to lurch upright, and she could see the outline a man standing in the doorway of her bedroom. The hallway light illuminated his frame, but she couldn't see his face. She couldn't tell if he was WoFat or Woods.

She scooted across her bed, as far away from the man as possible. As she stood up to place herself across the room from the monster, Steve flipped the light switch and the room was drenched in light. It was at that moment, she recognized him as her brother. Relief overtook her body, and she collapsed to her knees in the corner of the room; her body racked with sobs, and shaking from the terror of the all too real dream.

Steve, clad in his flannel pajama pants and white t-shirt, slowly approached the sobbing young woman. He crouched down in front of her and spoke softly to her, "Azucena, you're safe."

He held his arms open to her and she threw herself into them. He could feel her whole body trembling as the tears flowed freely. He thought he could hear her teeth chattering, as he gently ran his hand in circles across her back, "Shh, shh, shh, it's okay. You're safe."

She choked out words in between sobs, "Woods . . . ran here . . . WoFat and his men . . . trapped . . . not again."

"You're not in the woods and WoFat and his men aren't here. You're safe."

The trembling hadn't stopped and after she spoke to him, he was certain her teeth were chattering. He settled himself on the floor and leaned against the wall. He held her and rubbed her back and ran his fingers over her hair until she had calmed down. When her breathing was finally under control he spoke, "How are you doing?"

"It was so real." She whispered, her face still pressed against his t-shirt.

"I know," he answered; he could still feel her body trembling, "it gets better. It just takes time."

She sat there, quietly taking in his words. She knew it took time. She knew the nightmares would plague her until she was able to outrun them. Until she was able to run her body so ragged that she didn't dream. She had hoped with as busy as her afternoon and evening had been that she could pass the night without any dreams, good or bad. No such luck.

Frustration with herself and her emotions rushed over her. She sat up straight and leaned back against the wall, sitting shoulder to shoulder with Steve. Using the back of her hands, she wiped the remaining tears from her face, "How come it doesn't affect you?"

"It does," he answered quietly, "just not in the same way."

She stared straight ahead; it was easier to talk about it if she wasn't looking him in the eye. He followed her lead. He pulled his knees up, rested his arms across the top of his knees and stared straight ahead, "There have been nights, since then, that it happens all over again. I relive how he tortured you to get information from me. It's terrible; but the worst part is in my dreams, I can hear your screams of agony and your whimpers of pain and I can't do anything about it. I don't have the pin from Jenna and there is nothing I can do to help. It's always your screams that wake me up."

"You haven't said anything." she responded in barely a whisper.

"I didn't endure the physical violence that you went through. What you went through is worse and I didn't think you needed to know I'm fighting it too. You need to focus on you."

"He used me against you, that would be worse than the physical." she said softly. After thinking for a minute, she playfully nudged his shoulder with her own, "I'm glad you told me. It's nice to know I'm not alone and I'm not crazy."

"You're not crazy." He responded, a smile in is voice, "If you weren't having nightmares, that's when I would be concerned."

"Hopefully, in the near future we can make it through a night where I don't wake you with my screams and you don't dream of _that_." She said, emphasizing the whole terrifying experience in one four letter word.

He turned his head to look at her, "How do your ribs feel?"

"Painful," she answered honestly, turning her head to look him in the eye, "but I figured it was more important to talk about this than to ignore it."

"Do you need more pain reliever?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"No, I can't take any more for a few more hours. Think you can get back to sleep?"

"That won't be a problem. You?"

"I'll manage." She responded. He pushed himself up off the floor before she realized what he was doing. He looked down at her and offered his hands to her. She gratefully took them and with the smoothness of a dancer, he watched her gracefully push herself off the floor.

He turned and headed for the hallway. "Steve?"

"Yeah?" he turned to face her.

She avoided looking him in the eye, but he could hear the sincerity in her voice, "Thanks for sharing."

"No problem kiddo. Now get some sleep." He turned and walked down the hall, turning the hallway light off behind him. She straightened the sheets, flipped the lights off, crawled into bed and stared at the ceiling until her eyelids became droopy with sleep.


	23. Chapter 23: Disturbing Realizations

The next morning came earlier than Steve would have liked, but he was still on Hawaiian time. Azucena tried her hardest to be quiet, but it was such a small flat and Steve was an incredibly light sleeper that it didn't matter how hard she tried to be quiet.

They both downed mugs of hot tea and toaster waffles for breakfast. She offered Steve the bathroom first and she finished packing up the remainder of the apartment while he showered and got ready for the day. She eventually showered and dressed for the day. They had a handful of minutes to spare before her friend came by for her furniture.

Eventually they managed to empty her apartment of all the remaining furniture and appliances. They loaded up the rental with the bags they would carry back to Hawaii: two full duffel bags, her backpack, a gym bag full of random items, and Steve's travel bag. She was impressed and slightly saddened that her entire life was able to fit into four bags.

The boxes she wanted to snail mail to the island were loaded into the back of the rental. Azucena turned her apartment key into Mrs. Jenkins and received her security deposit from the woman. She then drove her car to a local charity and donated it. Afterwards, they stopped at a local postal store and Azucena paid to have three medium boxes shipped to the island.

After all was said and done, it was time for lunch and then they would get on the road to catch a night flight back to Hawaii. This was a whirlwind trip, but there was no point in dragging it out. She was wrapping things up here and starting fresh in a new city.

Azucena directed Steve through traffic, towards The Vault. He eventually parked on a side street and they were back to navigating the crowds of Mass street. Steve took in more of the sights this time, and in the process, he noticed something that disturbed him.

Everyone was friendly and made eye contact, but he noticed that the guys stared just a little too long at Azucena. Or in some instances, their eyes wandered over Azucena. He had recognized the fact that she was pretty, but he hadn't actually realized how attractive she was. She was his little sister, after all. It could have been the tight jeans tucked into her knee high boots, or the way her fleece jacket hugged every curve above her knees, but it was becoming painfully obvious to him that his sister was quite the looker. He wasn't certain if she recognized this fact, but he didn't really feel it appropriate to ask.

When he and Mary were growing up, he never had to worry about guys finding her attractive. Mary was in fifth grade when she was shipped off to live with Aunt Deb. His main concern with Mary at that age was if anyone was picking on her during recess. He also knew that Mary would punch any boy square in the jaw if they were mean to her. He was still protective of her, but their lives had been so far removed from each other that he never really had to deal with someone checking out his sister. This was painful.

After walking two city blocks, they entered _The Vault_. Steve could easily tell this building had previously been an old bank by the granite stone flooring and tall pillars that stretched to the ceiling. He could tell the lunch hour had started, but this was a high end restaurant. There were no college students occupying tables, these were well off couples and families draped in Sunday finery dining on high end steak and lobster. His sister was a chef at one of the top restaurants in the city. He was definitely proud.

The hostess squealed as they walked in the door and she all but attacked Azucena with hugs and a barrage of questions. Azucena returned the hug and softly answered a handful of questions, before asking if she could steal two menus and snag seats at the bar. She also asked the hostess to let Rick know she was here.

They found two seats at the end of the mostly empty bar and gave Steve a few moments to peruse the menu. The bartender caught up with Azucena and then took their order. As they were sipping on their iced teas, Steve's cell phone buzzed. He looked down at it; there was a text from Mary.

 _Talked to Aunt Deb. Christmas is a go. I sent our flight information to your personal email. See you in a few weeks. Love you!_

Steve smiled and looked up at Azucena, "Deb and Aunt Mary are coming out for Christmas."

Azucena returned the smile, but couldn't quite cover the deer in headlight expression that her eyes articulated. Steve could see her fear and understood it. He placed his hand on her shoulder, "They are going to love you! This will be good, I promise."

She nodded and laughed, "Is it weird that I almost feel WoFat was less scary than meeting family I never knew existed?"

"I'm family that you never knew existed." He countered, in a teasing manner.

"Yeah, I don't understand why you are easy to talk to. I didn't know you before the terror that was WoFat, so I don't get it."

"It's not uncommon for people who survive traumatic events together bond through those. I'm guessing it's why it's easier for you to talk to me. I've seen you in a pretty terrifying situation."

Their conversation was interrupted by the presence of a large, bald headed man with tattoos down his forearms. He was dressed in black dress pants and a white, nicely pressed, button down shirt with the sleeves folded up, "Azucena!"

She stood from the bar stool and this man embraced her in a large, protective hug. Steve could tell she was comfortable with him, "Good to see you man."

He released her and she settled back onto the barstool. "Girl, I was gutted when I got your text yesterday, but I completely understand about going to live with your brother. Is this him?"

The large man held out his hand to Steve, "Rick Vega."

"Nice to meet you, Steve McGarrett." Steve answered, as he shook Rick's hand.

"Rick, I have a really weird question, but I gotta ask it." Offered Acuzena, when the two had finished getting acquainted.

"Sure, what's going?"

"There was a guy that came into the restaurant one night, for one of the after-hours parties." She asked, while Steve searched through his phone for the picture of WoFat. He held up the phone for Rick to see as Azucena finished asking the questions, "Do you know this guy?"

"Yeah, his name is Jonathon Miller." Rick answered, nonchalantly.

"How do you know him?" she quizzed.

"I don't know him very well. He came into the restaurant a few months back and said he had heard about the restaurant from the Mancini brothers."

"Who are the Mancini brothers?" Steve asked.

"Silvio and Roberto Mancini, they basically run the restaurant scene in Kansas City. If you want to open a restaurant in Kansas City, you have to pay them insurance money." He answered, making certain Azucena and Steve understood the emphasis on _insurance money._ "I assumed they were interested in _The Vault_ , so I invited this guy to an after-hours party. I haven't seen him since."

"Have the Mancini brothers reached out to you personally?" questioned Steve.

"Nah, that was the last I thought of them until today. I just assumed they weren't interested any longer and continued on with my business."

Steve took in the information, dug out his business card and handed it to Rick, "If Jonathon Miller ever turns up again; you give me a call immediately; day or night."

"What's the deal with this guy?" Rick asked. Azucena looked to Steve; she was curious how much he would share in regards to WoFat. Steve kept his voice low, "He's an international arms dealer that kidnapped Azucena and beat her within an inch of her life. He's extremely dangerous."

"Oh my god, and he came here to find you." Supplied Rick, looking Azucena in the eye.

"We think that's what happened." She nodded.

"Damn girl, I'm so sorry." He offered.

"No worries, you didn't know." She answered. She could tell he was genuinely sorry for everything that had occurred.

"Kid, I feel terrible. Lunch is on the house. You want your chef's jacket?"

She smiled at Rick, "It's great memories, so yeah. I'll take it."

"I'll have Gino run it out to you when he has a moment. Sound good?"

"Yeah." She answered. He enveloped her in another large hug and whispered in her ear, "I'm so sorry. I wish you the best in your future endeavors."

"Thanks man!" she answered as she let go. As Rick left to go touch tables, their meal was presented to them. As they started to eat, Steve spoke up, "You know the Mancini brothers?"

"The name is familiar, but honestly, I don't know them." She paused, if they really did run the restaurant scene in Kansas City, she must have read about them in the papers. She really couldn't imagine any other way she would know them, but the name did claw at the back of her mind.

As they finished their lunch, Steve was quite impressed with the quality of food and level of service the place provided. Eventually, Azucena tipped the bartender and they headed back towards the car to drive the three hours to catch their flight. During the walk to the car, Steve was once again disturbed to see men of various ages eyeing his sister.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

They had been airborne a few hours when Azucena jolted awake from her sleep. _Mancini._ She had figured it out.

Her abrupt movement caused Steve to open his eyes. He looked at her; her features were painted with excitement, not fear. This was a good sign, "You okay?"

"Mancini, Claudia worked for the Mancini family when I was little. That's how he found me." She continued to rattle, hardly taking in a breath, "Illaria Mancini was my friend before Claudia died. We would play together at holiday parties and at picnics. I never paid attention to her last name because as a seven year old, last names aren't really important. I only ever saw her at random events, which must have been work events for Claudia."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down." Offered Steve, shaking the sleep from his brain. "So you're saying that Claudia worked for Roberto and Silvio Mancini?"

"I don't know who she worked for, but it was the Mancini family." She patiently answered.

"How do you know that?"

"I can remember going to random holiday parties and occasionally summer picnics at this big property when I was little. I don't really remember much before Claudia died, I was eight. However, I do remember playing with another little girl named Illaria. I didn't really know her last name, but I bet you dollars to donuts, it's Mancini."

"Good work kiddo. I'll look up the Mancini family when I go into work. I'm thinking you just figured out the connection between WoFat and how he found you."

She was wired now, there wasn't a chance she was going to be able to fall back asleep, but she could see Steve was still fighting fatigue. She looked over to him, "Go back to sleep."

"You going to be okay?"

She smiled, as she pulled her tablet out of her bag, "Of course, I've got a book to occupy my brain. Now get some rest."

Steve quickly fell back asleep and Azucena read for the remainder of the flight back to Hawaii.


	24. Chapter 24: Azucena's Birthday

**As always, thank you so much for the kind notes and comments. I am truly humbled that you all are reading this and enjoying it. Life has gotten in the way lately, and I haven't been able to spend time with my favorite characters. However, I made it a point to get this chapter written this weekend. It's a little all over the place, but I feel that is where this story will go. Everyone's lives will start to intertwine in different ways and it will probably be a little jumpy. I apologize in advance if that bothers anyone.**

 **#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#**

It was three in the morning when their flight landed in Hawaii. Fortunately, Steve had been allowed to park his truck on base, so they threw the heavy bags into the bed of the pick-up, the smaller bags in the backseat and drove through the dark streets to home.

As they unloaded the truck, Steve helped by carrying the heavy duffle bags up the stairs and placed them in her room. He knew her ribs were still healing and tender, so it was the least he could do. She considered unpacking, but they were both still exhausted and she hadn't slept much during the return flight. They both ended up crashing for a few more hours.

Steve skipped his morning swim and run; instead he opted for a quick shower. He quietly made himself a quick breakfast and left a note for Azucena.

 _Went into the office, and I didn't want to wake you. I'll call you later in the day. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me._

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve arrived in the office to find Danny, Kono and Chin surrounding the Smart Table.

"Welcome home Boss." Chimed Kono, in her light and happy tone.

"How was Kansas?" quizzed Chin.

"It was good. The trip was quick, but we accomplished everything we set out to do. We might have also stumbled onto a lead regarding how WoFat found Azucena." He answered, then looked at the screen "What have we got going on here?"

"Nothing better than starting out a nice relaxing Sunday with a murdered drug dealer washing onto shore." Offered Danny.

"Any leads?" inquired Steve.

"We have a few, but we think the main one is the competition." Answer Danny.

Kono drove the Smart Table, as they walked Steve through the situation that had started the previous morning. Kono brought up a picture of the dead drug dealer, as Danny narrated, "Meet Kengo Hiroda, he's our local weed dealer at Oahu State. He washed up on Cromwell's Beach yesterday morning, bullet to the head."

"Max have any idea on time of death?" questioned Steve.

"Yeah, about midnight Saturday night. He thinks he was dumped pretty close to shore because there wasn't a lot of damage from local wildlife." Offered Danny.

"From what we have been able to piece together is there is a new dealer on campus, with connection to the Triads." Offered Chin.

"So the competition has heavy backing. Whereas, Hiroda was a small time operation." Offered Steve, making sure he was following his people's thinking.

"That's exactly what we are thinking." Supplied Chin.

"Max able to match the bullet to a gun?"

"Not yet, but this footage just came through this morning and we think we just found the smoking gun." Offered Kono, as she pulled up camera footage from the nearby marina. "The footage is grainy, but you can see two people carrying a large Yeti cooler on board the boat in slip 14. We think Hiroda is in the cooler. We are just waiting for the warrant to board the boat."

"Nicely done." Offered Steve. Chin's phone rang, he answered and motioned for everyone to gear up.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Azucena slept much later than she had anticipated. When she did finally wake up, she made a leisurely morning of it. She took a shower, and actually took the time to really do her hair. She hadn't really bothered in the last few weeks to do anything, but her ribs were beginning to heal, so it was time to give her hair the respect it deserved. After taking quite a while, her hair was parted down the middle with two French braids down each side of her head and the longer pieces weaved into a low bun. It wasn't her best work, but it would do.

She wandered downstairs, read the note from Steve and made breakfast. She ate at the island, but eventually wandered down to the beach with her tea in hand. She watched the birds dive across the sky, and sat in awe at the way the wind danced through the trees. This was the perfect way to start her birthday.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

The team had executed the search warrant and was rewarded for their hard work. The cooler was covered in Hiroda's blood and although the men aboard the boat didn't confess, there was enough evidence to put them in jail. Steve and Danny drove back to the office in the Camaro, Steve had been unusually quiet during the drive, "You okay, man?"

"Huh?" questioned Steve.

"You have a cross between aneurism face and pensive face. Did everything go okay in Kansas?"

"Yeah man, everything went great there. We were able to get her packed up and find a link to WoFat. Short of WoFat being there, I don't think we could have asked for anything more."

Steve paused; Danny knew that if he waited long enough Steve would eventually tell him what was eating at him. It took two minutes before Steve ran his hand across his face in frustration, and then he unloaded, "She's beautiful, Danny."

"Yes, Azucena is very beautiful. Please tell me you are not attracted to her, because she is your sister. Your youngest sister, I might add." Answered Danny, in his concerned parent voice.

"God no, Danny." countered Steve, in almost disgust, "That's the problem, when we walked down the street in Lawrence, every guy checked her out. I watched as they looked her up and down."

"And you don't know how to handle that." Offered Danny, putting the pieces together, "How old was Mary when you guys were sent to the mainland?"

"Ten."

"You've never been around Mary when guys are checking her out?"

"I rarely get to see Mary and the few times she's been here since I came back, I never noticed it. Don't get me wrong, Mary's beautiful too." Steve exhaled loudly, "What did you do about Bridget and Stella?"

"I didn't do anything _about_ Bridget and Stella. They dated who they wanted to date and if they wanted help from Matty or me, they could ask; which is the same thing you have to do. Azucena's a grown up, if she needs help or protecting, she'll ask for it." He paused, "Besides, with that red hair and knowing she's Mary's sister, I bet she can hold her own and would be pissed if you involved yourself."

Steve resigned himself to Danny's advice. He knew Danny was right, but he wasn't prepared for it. Maybe if he had grown up with Mary, he would have been more prepared for the looks. This was going to be a learning experience.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Azucena stood in the kitchen kneading dough for homemade cinnamon rolls. She was proud of everything she had accomplished for the day. She had managed to unpack all of her belongings. Then she found an older bicycle in the garage that she had cleaned up, aired up the tires, and took for a spin around the neighborhood.

When she determined that the tires would hold air for more than a lap around the block, she biked up to the local convenience store and picked up the items she needed to make homemade cinnamon rolls. Cinnamon rolls were a birthday treat for her. Normally she would have made them the night before, but life got in the way. She would just have to enjoy them tomorrow morning.

Hearing the Christmas music play in the store started to get her into the Christmas spirit. She rode back to the house, set her iPod on the counter next to her cell phone, she pulled up her Christmas playlist and sang along while she prepared the dough.

Steve had told Danny they would meet him and Gracie for dinner at Kamekona's. He was going to swing by and pick up Azucena and head that way. As he unlocked the front door and walked into the house, he heard the music and then her voice. It was a strong voice that carried throughout the house. He followed her voice to the kitchen. He could tell that she was completely relaxed, so he stood there and enjoyed listening to her sing.

 _O holy night the stars are brightly shining  
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth  
Long lay the world in sin and error pining  
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth_

She was engrossed in rolling out the dough in front of her and the music; she didn't hear or see him as she continued to belt out the song. Steve knew genetically where her talent for music came from, and she was good. He stood in awe.

 _A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices  
For yonder breaks a new glorious morn  
Fall on your knees  
O hear the angels' voices  
O night divine  
O night when Christ was born  
O night divine o night  
O night divine_

When the song was over, Steve began to clap. It startled Azucena and she dropped the bowl of cinnamon mixture on the rolled out dough, "Holy Ghost! When did you get home?"

"The beginning of the song; you are incredible."

She picked up the dropped bowl and continued to sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over the dough. She was embarrassed and her face flushed red, "Nah, back home we all had to sing in the church choir and the school choir."

He could tell she was self-conscious, so he didn't press her. He watched her roll the dough into a large log. Her fingers were soft and nimble with the dough. "Danny and I were thinking of doing dinner at Kamekona's tonight with Gracie. Want to join us?"

She began to slice the log, "What is Kamekona's?"

"Best shrimp truck on the island." Steve supplied, as she arranged the slices in the baking pan.

"Sounds interesting; can you give me a few minutes to clean up?"

"Sure, can I help?" asked Steve at the same moment her phone beeped, announcing she had a text message. She gestured to the dough and flour on her hands, "Can you tell me what that says?"

She walked over to the sink to wash her hands, Steve picked up the phone, "Tommy sent a text, 'Happy Birthday Red! Hope it's wonderful, miss you!'"

It dawned on him; it was her birthday, "I completely forgot, happy birthday."

"Not a big deal." She answered, as she finished washing her hands. "Honestly, I never told you, so I don't expect you to know."

"I read it in your file and apparently forgot about it."

"Like I said," she smiled, as she dried her hands on a towel, "It's not a big deal. Oh, by the way, there's an old bike in the garage, I cleaned it up and used it today. I hope that isn't a problem."

Steve remembered the old bike, it was from when they were kids and would take family bike rides. The only bike left was his father's. He was happy it was getting used, "Not a problem at all. How did your ribs do on the ride?"

"I can tell they are still angry, but I can't stop living because they hurt. They will just have to catch up to me." She answered, as she finished wiping down the island. "I'll wash the dishes when we come back, ready to go?"

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Grace and Danny stood waiting next to the Camaro, as Grace told Danny all about her day at school. It was only when she saw Uncle Steve's truck did she stop talking. Steve emerged from the truck to have a six year old running at him, "Uncle Steve!"

He crouched down and the little girl ran into his arms. He picked her up and embraced her with a giant hug, "Gracie, good to see you! How was school today?"

"It was great! We went on a field trip to the pineapple plantation."

"The pineapple plantation; did you bring back a pineapple for Danno?" Steve joked; they both knew Danny hated pineapple.

"No, he wouldn't eat it if I brought one back." She laughed with Steve. Steve placed the young girl back on the ground and holding her hand, he turned to Azucena, "Gracie, I would like to introduce you to my sister, Azucena."

Azucena crouched down to the little girl's height, "It's nice to meet you Miss. Grace. I've heard a lot of wonderful things about you."

"It's nice to meet you too." She replied back, a little unsure of herself.

Azucena inspected the little girl, "Who did your pigtails?"

"Danno did." She answered, pride in her voice. She turned around so the lady could properly see them.

"He did a great job; I love pigtails!"

"Me too!" the little girl answered enthusiastically. Then little girl looked at the young woman in front of her, "Danno says you have never been to Kamekona's before."

"He's right; this is the first time I have been here. What do you like to eat when you come here?" she questioned with genuine interest in the little girl and her opinion.

"The garlic shrimp is the best." She smiled, and then grabbed Azucena's hand with her free hand, "Come on, we'll show you all the good stuff."

The little girl pulled each of the siblings behind her. Danny just smiled, his daughter was so loving and so welcoming to Uncle Steve's sister.

Danny and Grace placed their order with the large bald man at the window of the truck. Azucena scanned the menu and then looked at Steve and quietly asked, "Anything to avoid?"

"The tofu, avoid that at all costs. Everything else is pretty amazing."

They approached the window, the big man sternly looked down at them, "McGarrett, I have noticed your lack of presence during the lunch hour. It was confirm by an unnamed source that you are cheating on my shrimp truck with food from another chef. I'm not certain I can serve you at this point. However, if you introduce me to the lovely redhead next to you, I might reconsider."

Steve smiled, "Kamekona, I'd like you to meet my sister, Azucena."

Azucena looked at the intimidating man in front of her and smiled, "It's nice to meet you. Steve says you have the best shrimp on the island. I was looking forward to trying it this evening."

"So you're the competition?" questioned Kamekona, she could see through his façade.

"I wouldn't say competition. Hawaiian cuisine is foreign to me, but I'm looking forward to experiencing it." She smiled at him.

"Best grinds on the island my friend. What will you have?" he asked with a genuine smile on his face.

"I'll try the lemon shrimp and a bottle of water."

"McGarrett?"

"Garlic shrimp and coconut water."

Azucena reached for her pocketbook, but Steve gently stopped her, "I got this, besides it's your birthday."

They paid and walked over to the picnic table Danny and Grace occupied. They sat down and Danny was the first to speak up, "You've now met Kamekona, the entrepreneur of Hawaii."

"What does he do besides the shrimp truck?" she asked, curiosity overcoming her.

"He runs a shave ice company and then the shrimp truck with his cousin. He says the next phase of their business plan is helicopter rides over the island." Offered Danny.

"Wow, he really is quite the businessman." She smiled, and then asked, "What does "grinds" mean?"

"Food." explained Steve, "Grindz, with a 'z,' is pidgin for food. It's a local term."

"Azu" Grace tried to say the young woman's name, but couldn't quite get it all out. Azucena offered to help, "Miss Grace, do you know what my best friends call me?"

"No." she answered, completely serious.

"They call me Red, because of my red hair. If you want, it's okay to call me Red."

"Red," the little girl tested it out, and then asked her question with awe in her voice, "Who did your hair?"

"I did it." She answered with a smile, and then offered, "Maybe some weekend, after you and Danny come over and swim at the beach, I can do it to your hair. Would that be okay?"

"Oh yes, that would be so cool!" the little girl exclaimed. Steve and Danny just laughed, but Azucena completely understood the little girl's enthusiasm.

Their food arrived at the table and everyone enjoyed their dinner, while watching the sunset over the water. Azucena thoroughly enjoyed the evening, and was surprised when Kamekona came out to sit with their table, "Little Sistah, what did you think?"

Steve watched her freeze for a second; he recognized the cause. WoFat had called her 'little sister.' Steve also watched as she switched the terror off and looked Kamekona in the eyes, "It was amazing, and I'm curious if I detected a hint of cumin in the lemon shrimp."

"You are good." Answered Kamekona with a big smile.

Grace yawned and Danny realized it was getting close to bedtime. "You ready to go home, Monkey?"

She nodded. Everyone said goodnight and went their separate ways. As Steve drove them home, Azucena reflected, it had been a good birthday.


	25. Chapter 25: We Need A Little Christmas

Steve arrived home from work the next evening to the smell of his mother's lasagna. The house smelled exactly like it did when he was a kid. The instant he stepped into the house, he knew if he closed his eyes, he could imagine his mother standing in the kitchen preparing a salad while the lasagna cooked. He allowed himself a few moments of wishful thinking before he shook the memories from his brain and walked into the kitchen.

Azucena had her mass of red hair piled on top of her head. He could see a sharp shade of pink cover her face, shoulders and chest as she brushed sliced French bread with Italian dressing, "Lasagna?"

"Yeah, hope it's okay. Thought I would try my hand at Claudia's recipe and see if it is as good as you say it is."

"What are you working on over there?" he asked, gesturing with his head towards her busy hands. He picked chopped carrots out of the salad. She continued to paint the bread, "Italian bread, after I put the dressing on it, I'll cover it in parmesan cheese and broil it."

"That sounds wonderful." He answered, as he pulled the fridge door open and pulled out a Longboard.

"It's one of Clara's recipes. Whenever we ate Italian food, we always had it."

"You got some sun today." He said, gesturing to her face.

"Yeah, I used the bike and rode to a variety of restaurants and coffee shops picking up job applications. I spent more time in the sun than I realized."

"Hurt bad?"

"Nah, I've had worse. Just need to remember sunscreen out here." She said, as the timer on the lasagna went off and she pulled it from the oven and switched the oven to the broiler, "Anything exciting in your day?"

"Well, we discovered that Illaria Mancini is Silvio Mancini's daughter. And the more that we looked at Roberto and Silvio Mancini, the more we realized they run quite the operation."

"How so?" inquired Azucena.

"Well, they have their hands deep in the restaurant scene in Kansas City, but they also run in drugs, prostitution, gambling, and guns. Looks like the District Attorney of Kansas City has never been able to build a case against Roberto and Silvio. However, the CIA did go after their father, Ignacio, shortly after Claudia was killed."

"So how does this all tie back to WoFat?"

"We think WoFat approached them to run guns for him. He's been an international arms dealer for years and at some point in his conversations with the Mancini brothers, Claudia had to come up. Which in turn would lead to you." Answered Steve, as he pulled plates from the cabinet and walked them out to the dining room table.

"Do you think the Mancini brothers know about us or want anything to do with us?" she asked, as he returned to the kitchen.

"I can't imagine that they would come after you. They killed Claudia as a form of revenge on a night you weren't in the house, which makes me think they viewed you as an innocent. WoFat on the other hand, he wouldn't follow the code of the Mancini family. He's in this for something else, so you and I are acceptable targets to him."

"What do you think Shelbourne is?" Azucena asked, as she pulled the broiled bread from the oven and placed it in a breadbasket. She carried the bread and salad to the table, as Steve placed the lasagna on a trivet.

"I think it is either a person or a special operation, but both are just conjecture on my part. Joe White was looking into something, but he won't take any of my calls and he disappeared without a trace."

"Does he do that a lot?" she asked, as she served up the lasagna to both their plates.

"I didn't used to think so, but he has become more and more cagey lately." He scooped a forkful of lasagna and took a bite. He closed his eyes and savored the flavor of the dish, it was every bit as good as when his mother would make it. In this one moment, he was transported back to his childhood and the family dinners with his parents and Mary.

Azucena watched his reaction. She didn't say anything, as she quietly ate the food in front of her. The lasagna was wonderful, but it didn't have the impact on her that it did for Steve. She didn't want to interrupt his moment, and she could tell she had managed to invoke a piece of his childhood for him.

"How did you do this?" he asked.

"Do what?" Azucena inquired, honestly confused by the question.

"It tastes just like she made it; just like when I was a kid."

"She had pretty specific instructions, I just followed those."

"It never tastes like this when I make it."

"Well, I'll make it for you whenever you like." She offered with a smile.

"Where all did you pick up applications today?"

"I stopped in at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company, Duke's Waikiki, Waikiki Beachside Bistro, Cheesecake Factory, RumFire Waikiki, and Wolfgang's Steakhouse. I figured if I wait tables at any of those places, I can pull in decent tips."

"You rode all the way to Kalakaua Avenue? That is quite the ride." He reflected on the restaurants she stopped at, "Yeah, the tips in any of those places will be good."

She just nodded, as she continued to eat dinner. After a little bit of silence Steve finally spoke up, "I was thinking, with Aunt Deb and Mary coming out for Christmas, we should probably decorate or at least put up the Christmas tree."

"That sounds like fun."

Steve was slightly nervous Azucena wouldn't want to decorate. He was relieved when she said it sounded like fun. In between bites of lasagna, "I can bring down the decoration while you do the dishes. That sound okay to you?"

"Works for me." She smiled enthusiastically, and they finished their dinner discussing various topics from the day.

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When all the dishes had been done and the box of decorations drug down from the attic, they dug through boxes and assembled the Christmas tree. It was an old tree with the color-coded limbs that went into the center pole in a specific order. Azucena was surprised, for a man who could take orders and solve crimes, Steve was terrible at following directions.

When all was said and done, the tree was assembled, and the lights were strung around the tree. They paused to admire their handywork and Azucena paused, "Wait one second, I'll be back."

Steve watched her disappear up the stairs. He had noticed the huge smile on her face as they assembled the tree and placed the twinkling lights. He was curious what she was up to, but waited patiently for her to return to the living room. She appeared at the top of the stairs, with a shoe box tucked under one arm and her iPod in her other hand. He stood in awe as she almost danced down the stairs, she was so happy and graceful.

She scrolled through her iPod until she found her Christmas music playlist and hit play. Steve laughed, he wasn't a huge fan of Christmas music, but he could get behind it in this instance. Steve opened a box of Christmas ornaments and pulled one out a small stained-glass window with a peace dove, "This was our mother's favorite."

"It's pretty." Answered Azucena, as she watched Steve place it on the tree. She helped pull out various ornaments and Steve would stop her occasionally and tell her a story about specific ornaments. Her favorite story being the key shaped ornament with a picture of Santa Clause.

Steve took that one specifically and hung it by the front door, and not on the tree. Azucena was confused, "I thought the ornaments went on the tree. Are things done differently in Hawaii?"

"Do you remember all the Christmas stories that tell you Santa goes down the chimney to bring presents to all the kids?"

"Of course." She responded.

"Well, if you live in a house that doesn't have a chimney, how is Santa supposed to get in the house?"

"I have no idea."

"Mom made this key and told Mary and I that it was magic. If we would hang it outside on Christmas Eve, Santa could use it to get in our house. We always made her hang it by the front door until Christmas Eve, so we wouldn't forget to place it outside."

"That is absolutely brilliant!" exclaimed Azucena. She also loved the fact that Steve was in his early thirties and this tradition was still important to him. He would be a good dad someday.

When they finished with the box of ornaments Steve had drug down from the attic, Azucena opened the shoebox she had brought downstairs. She slowly unwrapped each ornament, the first one was a beautiful cardinal that had a sprig of holly with three berries in its mouth. "We got this ornament the Christmas after we lost Clara. I don't know if you know, but if you spot a cardinal, it's a family member looking after you."

"I've never heard that."

"It's a big deal where I come from. I'll be honest, there are days I see a cardinal and I just know it's Jack, Clara or Dean. Depending on what's happening that day, I can tell you exactly which person it is." She answered as she placed it on the tree. Steve took in her words and really thought about her perspective.

He had days where he could feel his dad watching over him, but he never put it into words. Her faith in her family and openness about it was something he wished he possessed.

As she unwrapped the remaining ornaments, she placed them on the tree. Each was special to her for one reason or another, but nothing meant more to her than the cardinal that sat in the tree overlooking them.

When all was said and done, and the empty boxes were placed back in the attic, they sat down in the dark and just enjoyed the light of the tree. Steve hadn't just admired the beauty of a Christmas tree in ages, but this year, he felt like he had family here. Azucena was just thankful because this would be her first Christmas without Jack, but now she had her brother.


	26. Chapter 26: The Redhead

The morning of the 22nd started like any other morning, Steve was up with the sun and wandered down to the beach to start his morning swim. He took in the sounds and smells of the ocean and began his morning ritual.

As he cut through the water, he imagined everything that could go wrong over the next few days. When he originally thought about inviting Aunt Deb and Mary out for Christmas, he had been thrilled to introduce Azucena to them. Now all he could think about was how this could go sideways and his main concern was Mary.

Aunt Deb would see the similarities in an instant. She would welcome Azucena into the family with open arms. There was no doubt about how Deb would take to the young woman.

Mary on the other hand, she was going to question everything. She was going to be irate at their mother for the lies and probably feel betrayed that she had another family without them. It was something Steve was still struggling to wrap his head around. How to do you leave your family behind and start another one?

He had to remind himself regularly that none of this was Azucena's fault. This all belonged on Doris and the CIA. He could keep himself in check and remember that, but he was concerned if Mary could do it.

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Azucena awoke and decided today was the day to get back into running. She pulled her body out of bed, pulled on some capri running tights, a form fitting tank top, and her sneakers. She pulled her hair up in a ponytail and donned a hat to protect her fair skin. She shuffled down the stairs and out the front door.

Her first few strides down the driveway were smooth and easy, she turned and headed north along the street. She kept her pace slower than normal. She wanted to make sure she didn't hurt her lungs and she knew eventually she would build back up to her old speeds.

She wasn't actually sure how her ribs would hold up on this run, but she was forcing herself back into running. She told herself it was time, but she knew she was doing this to run herself down. She knew that if she ran herself ragged, she would be able to sleep and the dreams wouldn't come. She was terrified enough that she would be meeting her sister and aunt today, but nothing would be more embarrassing than them both waking up to her screams of terror in the middle of the night.

She mulled over the fact that things had gotten better in the sleep department of her life. Most nights, she would sleep and when the night terrors came, she could wake herself from them without screaming out. She attributed that to riding the bike all over town looking for jobs.

She was thrilled; she had three job interviews scheduled today. She felt that was a victory and hopefully one would yield promising results. School would start in three weeks and she had managed to pick her classes, she was retaking Biology and Western Civilization, as those credits wouldn't transfer over to the University of Hawaii. All the other classes were new topics and she looked forward to the new challenges these classes would bring.

She was about a mile out from the house, when she could hear the pounding of feet behind her. She never ran with headphones on, it took away all her senses and it was too easy to be caught off guard. Ever since Woods, she always looked over her shoulder to see who was behind her. As the years had passed, she rarely switched directions or sides of the street, but she would never allow herself to be caught off guard again.

Steve saw the shape of the female runner in front of him and he realized immediately it was Azucena. The long red hair gave it away. He was surprised to see her out running, but he realized this is what she used to do. He could see that she was working back up. Her stride was long and strong, but it wasn't very quick. He noticed her peek over her shoulder at him, and when she realized it was him, she turned and jogged backwards, "Hey you!"

He kicked it up a notch and managed to catch up with her. "Surprised to see you out here."

"Shouldn't be, I've been pretty lazy on running since everything." She wouldn't call it 'the incident;' that was something else. She felt bad saying 'since being tortured' because she felt that Steve still personalized the fact that he couldn't help her right away. It was easier to just say 'everything' and lump it into something less traumatizing. It was always going to be a terrible memory, but she was living proof you could get past bad experiences. It just took a lot of hard work and patience.

"But I figured since I have been riding the bike all over town and my ribs have held up, it was time to push it to the next level."

"Makes sense." He said, keeping pace with her. He had to slow down to run with her, but he watched her. This was slightly tough on her, but he knew that once she was truly back in her running game, she would be tough to keep up with. He had never asked her running pace; but if she ran about eight miles a day, she was cranking those miles out.

"How far did you swim?"

"Mile and a half."

"Something weighing on you?" she asked, she had plenty weighing on her mind. Two new strangers were going to end up in her world today and she was terrified. It wouldn't be so bad to make two new friends in a day, but two new family members that didn't know you existed. Add to the fact that your mother abandoned one of the new family members and started a new life with you. This wasn't stressful at all.

"No, why do you ask?"

"You said you only ever swim more than a mile when work or something is bad. Is work bad?"

"Nah, things at work are good. Speaking of work, when are your interviews today?"

"I have Duke's at 1 o'clock, Bubba Gump's at 2:30 and Cheesecake factory at 4:00." She paused, "I think I'm going to attempt the bus system today."

"Sounds like a busy day, the bus system is a good idea." He looked at the road ahead, "Ready to turn around?"

"Sure." They turned around at the end of the street and headed back to the house. "What time does their flight get in today?"

"They get in at noon. I'm going to leave work early and pick them up. Your schedule will give me time to tell them everything." She was so thankful for these interviews, but she had intentionally scheduled them for later in the day. She had butterflies in her stomach and they definitely weren't from getting back into running.

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Danny waltz into Steve's office and plopped down in the chair in front of Steve's desk. Steve looked up from his computer, "Can I help you with something, Danny?"

"It's 11:00, are you going to leave soon?"

"Their flight doesn't get in for another hour." Responded an exasperated Steve.

"I was just checking to make sure you are ready for this."

"Yes Danny, I'm ready to spend the holiday with my family." He retorted, and then in an almost desperate voice, "You and Gracie are coming over Christmas Eve, right?"

"Of course, are you scared to spend that much time with your family?"

"No, it's just Azucena was going to make sugar cookies so Grace could help decorate them Christmas Eve. If you weren't going to be able to make it, I wanted to be sure to let Azucena know she didn't have to make them."

"If that is the excuse you need to use to ensure we are there on Christmas Eve, we can use that. Also, she doesn't have to make cookies, but Grace will be so happy to help decorate them." Danny paused, and then boasted, "I have to confess, my cookie decorating skills have improved over the years. I could be considered a cookie artist."

Steve just shook his head in dismay at his friend. He was thankful for the distraction, but it was about the time to close up shop for the day. "You and the cousins going to be okay without me for the next few days?"

"Of course."

"If you guys need anything, you'll promise to call me in."

"Depends, are you wanting to escape your family or are you too scared to leave them all alone together?"

"Danny" was all he could get out before the cousin's appeared in his doorway. Kono was the first one to speak up, "Boss, what are you still doing here?"

Chin followed up with, "Shouldn't you be on your way to the airport by now?"

Steve appreciated the support from his team, "I feel like you are all trying to get rid of me."

"Is it that obvious?" teased Kono.

"Call me if you all need anything." Shared Steve as he shut down his computer. Then he looked up, "See you all Christmas Eve?"

They all gave varying positive responses, before Chin spoke up, "Go on and get out of here."

"Mele Kalikimaka guys!" Steve said, as he walked out of his office. Danny yelled back loudly, "Merry Christmas!"

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Steve stood in the airport and scanned the crowd for his sister and aunt. There were so many people bustling about, he could definitely tell it was the holiday season. He didn't have to wait more than five minutes when he spotted Aunt Deb and Mary. Mary was still in her flight attendant uniform. He rushed towards them and enveloped Aunt Deb in a gentle hug. "Oh dear, it is so good to see you. Step back and let me have a look at you."

Steve followed her instructions, her playful sergeant voice came out, "I see you have some new ink. Still fit as a fiddle and you're letting your hair grow out past regulation. You look good kid."

He laughed with her. He hugged Mary, "Good to see you, big brother."

"Good to see you too. Did you work the flight out?"

"Yeah, and I'll work the flight back. It's just easier this way."

"Good to have you both home. Let's get your bags."

They gathered their bags at the carousel and Steve carried Deb's bag to the truck. He helped her into the front seat of the truck. Once everyone was comfortable, he broached the topic of lunch, "You ladies hungry?"

"Starved!" exclaimed Mary from the backseat.

"Lunch does sound good."

"Can we go to Kamekona's?" asked Mary.

"What is Kamekona's?" inquired Deb.

"Best shrimp truck on the island, Aunt Deb. You are going to love it." Responded Mary.

"Kamekona's it is." Answered Steve, as he started the truck and pulled out into traffic.

Steve caught up with everything in their lives as they drove to the beach. Mary was working a lot and really enjoying her job. When she wasn't in some far away city, she was spending time in LA and doing yoga on her days off. Deb was spending most of her days helping kids learn to read music and sing. She could have retired long ago, but music had always been her passion and she was thrilled to share it with kids.

She was planning on a big trip with some of her girlfriends in spring. They were going to take a river cruise down the Mississippi River. She shared all the details about that and how she was rereading all her favorite Mark Twain books in preparation for the trip.

By this time, they had reach Kamekona's truck. Mary marched right up to the window and Kamekona took in the sights of the McGarrett clan, "Hello Little Sistah and Auntie. Where's the redhead?"

"The redhead?" questioned Mary, the pitch of her voice rising. She turned to tease her brother about his new girlfriend, but before she could say anything Deb spoke up, "Steven, is there a new lady in your life?"

He rubbed his hand over his chin in exasperation, "No Aunt Deb, I'm still seeing Catherine. Let's order lunch and then we can talk some more."

He hoped that would change the subject, at least until they sat down. Kamekona took his cue, "What can I get for you little sistah?"

They placed their orders with him and then found a picnic table with an umbrella. Mary was the first to bring it up, "Who is the redhead?"

"It's a long story."

"I'm on vacation for the next four days." Mary responded, "I've got nothing but time."

"Do you like her? Is she a local girl? Are you wanting to break things off with Catherine?" inquired Aunt Deb. Steve figured now was as good as time as any and decided it was best to start from the beginning.

"Do you guys remember how you tried to call me for Thanksgiving and I couldn't return your phone calls?"

They both nodded their heads, encouraging Steve to continue with his story. "Well, I went to go help a friend find her fiancé. Apparently, he had been kidnapped by a gun runner."

"Steven, is this another one of your stories that is dangerous and I don't need or want to hear about it?" Questioned Aunt Deb. Steve smiled, she loved him like a parent and she wanted nothing but the best for him and Mary. She also knew he risked his life everyday to help people, whether he was in the Navy or Five-0, but it made her nervous.

"Unfortunately, it was dangerous, but it had a positive outcome. However, to understand the redhead comment, you have to hear the whole story."

Mary interrupted, "Is the redhead the girl whose fiancé you were looking for?"

"No." answered Steve, as Flippa brought the tray of plate lunches out. He handed the dishes out to each of the patrons and Steve asked, "You and Kamekona still coming over Christmas Eve?"

"Yeah, we still plan on bringing some grindz."

"Sounds good, thanks man!" Flippa walked back to the truck and Deb poked Steve to continue with his story, "So you went to help a friend find her fiancé, and?"

"Well, long story short, I was captured by the gun runner and taken hostage." Before he could continue, Deb interrupted him, concern apparent in her voice, "Were you hurt?"

"Fortunately, I was not hurt." He answered patiently. This was going to take some time to get through.

"Thank goodness." She exhaled. Steve could see the concern that crossed Mary's face. It faded quickly once she knew he was alright.

"I was taken to a room, where the gun runner had taken a young woman hostage. He introduced the young woman as my sister."

"What?" questioned Mary.

"I was confused too." Answered Steve, "He introduced the young woman as Azucena Santiago. Her mother was named Claudia Santiago and she worked for the CIA."

"Was this young woman the redhead?" inquired Deb, she was putting the pieces in place. Steve could see her brain work through all the pieces she had, they weren't fitting perfectly, but she was working them towards the right fit.

"Yes, she's the redhead." Answered Steve, he paused for a second and then continued with the story. "The gun runner started torturing the girl for information. She didn't know anything about what was being asked. When the gun runner gave up on Azucena knowing anything, he started asking me questions. When I told him I didn't know, he continued to torture the girl."

"Dear God, that is absolutely terrible. Is the young girl okay?" asked Deb.

"Fortunately, she survived and is healing. My team was able to get us and bring us home."

"Where were you?" quizzed Mary.

"It's best you don't know." Responded Steve, pausing and then asking Mary, "Do you remember Joe White?"

"Uncle Joe, of course." She smiled thinking of him. Deb nodded her head in agreement.

"Well, Joe informed me on the flight home that Azucena and I have the same parents." Steve paused, letting the two take in everything he just shared. Mary was the first to speak up, "How can that be? Mom was killed in a car accident and you said this girl was young. Younger than you? Younger than me?"

"Doris didn't die in that accident, did she?" asked Deb.

"Apparently not, mom was working for the CIA and didn't know it but she was pregnant at the time they staged the accident."

"Staged the accident? You mean mom wasn't really killed in the accident. You aren't explaining everything." Stated a frustrated Mary. Steve understood her frustration, if he hadn't been through it all, he would be reacting the same way she was. "Mom worked for the CIA and when it appeared the Yakuza were getting too close to her, they had to make it look like she had been killed. They staged the accident to make it look like a drunk driver hit her."

"But she didn't really die?" quizzed Mary.

"No, she was alive and pregnant with Azucena. The CIA moved her to Kansas to work on her next assignment, but she didn't know she was pregnant."

"What happened next, Steven?" encouraged Deb. She knew this wasn't going to end well.

"Mom was apparently pretty deep in her cover when she realized she was pregnant. Instead of removing herself from the situation, Azucena was born with her cover in place. Her whole life, she had been told she was born in Argentina. She was raised speaking Spanish and still does. Everything about her was shaped from a heritage of lies."

"So her and mom are here?" asked Mary, Steve could hear the hope in her voice. Deb heard it too. Deb was too well versed in the reality of the world, and in that moment, she could hear the little kid in Mary. The hope.

"No Mary, mom was killed when Azucena was eight years old. Apparently, Azucena attended a slumber party and the Mob made it look like an electrical fire burned the house down. Azucena was spared because she was an innocent. Mom was working for the CIA and the mob found out."

Steve could see the horror on Mary's face. It was like losing her mother all over again. Deb felt for the young woman, but her heart broke for the little eight-year-old girl. Deb encouraged Steve to continue, "What happened to her?"

"She was placed as a ward of the state with a very nice older couple. She was raised in a small town in Kansas. Her parents ran the local diner and it sounds like she had a pretty good childhood. She helped out at the family diner and her cooking skills will knock your socks off."

"She's living here?" asked Mary.

"Yeah, I moved her into the guest room."

"Are we one hundred percent certain this story is true?" quizzed Mary. Steve and Deb both understood the hesitation. Deb had no doubt that Steve had done his due diligence when it came to making sure this was an accurate representation of the situation. However, she understood Mary's line of thinking and wanted to hear it from Steven as well.

"I had my medical examiner run a DNA test on the both of us. It came back that we have the same parents. She's our sister." Steve patiently answered for Mary.

"So she's what, 18?"

"She just turned 19 about two weeks ago." Shared Steve.

"What was she doing before she met you? Did she know about us?" Mary asked.

"She was a student at the University of Kansas. She's studying to be a nurse." He paused, letting Mary absorb the information. "She didn't know anything about us. She was more skeptical about everything than I was."

"We are certain she's not in cahoots with the gun runner and came after you for some reason? Maybe they want to know about one of your super-secret missions and they are working together to get the information from you."

"Mary, the gun runner beat her within an inch of her life. We barely got her to the hospital in time. I highly doubt she is in cahoots with the gun runner." He supplied, patiently.

"Where is she now, Steven?" asked Deb.

"She has three job interviews today. She should be in the middle of the first one."

"What is she looking at doing?"

"She was planning on waiting tables while she finishes school out here. I helped her get into U of H."

"When do we get to meet this young woman?" asked Deb, a smile crossing her face. Steve could see she was more than happy to have a second niece.

"Her last interview is at 4:00, she should be home after that."

"I have to say, I am excited to meet my youngest niece." She answered, with genuine love in her voice.

"You're going to like her Aunt Deb, she's actually pretty funny and she can sing. I have heard her and she is incredible." Steve shared and he looked at Mary, "I know this is a lot to take in. I struggled with it for a long time and honestly, I am still struggling with the lies."

"It's just so wrong. Mom died but she didn't die. She had a whole other family and we knew nothing about it. Did Dad know?"

"I asked Joe and he said Dad never knew mom was an agent."

"So basically, their marriage was based on a lie."

"Honey, you can't look at it that way. Your father loved your mother and I have no doubt she loved him just as much. We can't know everything, but I don't doubt she loved you with all her heart." Supplied Deb.

"Give me time, I'll sort it out." Answered Mary. Steve felt relieved, he could tell the situation wasn't resolved, but this had gone way better than he had expected. He knew there would be more questions and he doubted he had any of the answers, but this was headed down the right path.


	27. Chapter 27: Family

Deb had just come down the stairs from resting her eyes for a few minutes after lunch. She could hear Steve and Mary in the kitchen. She lingered on the stairs, listening to her niece and nephew's exchange "How did Uncle Joe know mom worked for the CIA? I thought being a spy was a secret."

"There is something called the Special Activities Division, it's a joint operation between the Navy and the CIA. I believe Uncle Joe has worked for them off and on over the years."

"So he's basically lied to us for the past 20 years?"

"Yes."

"He lied to dad for all those years." It was a statement that hung there. Mary ran the information over in her mind, "I really don't like Uncle Joe right now."

"You aren't alone Mary." Answered Steve, running has hand across the back of his neck. He had to remember to be patient with Mary. He had almost a month to process everything, she was going on a few hours. "If we didn't know she existed, and she didn't know we existed, how did the gun runner know we were siblings?"

"My team is working on that, but do you remember the guys who kidnapped you last year?" Steve watched her nod her head, her eyes darkened when she remembered the terror of that whole experience. "The higher ups who orchestrated your kidnapping, they work for the gun runner that kidnapped Azucena and took me hostage. He knows more about our family than any of us and if I'm being honest Mary, that terrifies me."

She had never heard Steve speak so honestly before and it scared her. Then her curiosity got the better of her, "How did her foster parents not know she was missing?"

"Her foster parents were much older when they took her in. Her foster mom passed when she was twelve and her foster dad passed away about six months ago. No one knew she had been kidnapped because she doesn't have anyone looking after her. Not like when you got taken." Mary reflected on the night she was grabbed from her house. She still had nightmares from that night. Her voice was soft when she asked her next question, "How did they get her?"

Steve knew this would be the end of the questions of doubt. He could see she was reflecting on her own situation and what had happened to her. She wouldn't wish that on another person.

"She stayed late at the campus library to study for an exam. WoFat's men had broken into her apartment and were waiting for her when she got home. She fought them, but there were too many for her. She was knocked unconscious and woke up in a cell."

"How bad did he hurt her?"

"Bad," he paused, reflecting back on how battered and bruised she was when he helped unshackle her. He thought back to how she was restrained and intubated for the first day she was in Hawaii. It made him sick to his stomach to remember all the damage WoFat inflicted on her. "She suffered a collapsed lung, multiple broken ribs, a bruised kidney and multiple lacerations."

"That's terrible." She paused, "How did you get her out of there?"

"With the help of some friends." Was all he provided. It wouldn't do any good to tell them about Jenna dying and the death of her fiancé.

Deb had heard enough. There was nothing that could be done to change the past. It was time to embrace the future of their family with another person in it. She was going to make it her mission to make Azucena feel as welcome as possible. She sauntered into the kitchen, "How about we go sit on the lanai and just enjoy the breeze?"

"That sounds like a great plan. You want an iced tea or something, Aunt Deb?" questioned Steve.

"That would be wonderful, but I can get it. Mary, you want something to drink?"

"I feel like we are changing the subject." Answered Mary.

"That's because we are, my dear." Responded Deb.

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Azucena stepped off the bus and walked the direction of the house. The butterflies were in full effect now; she was excited and terrified at the same time. As she lollygagged down the street, she kept thinking about each step she took would either lead to something incredibly amazing or something terribly awkward and uncomfortable. What she wouldn't give to have Tommy or Frog by her side in this instance.

She paused at the front door, took a deep breath, and turned the knob. As she crossed the threshold, she noticed that the living room was empty. Then she heard voices drift through the house and Steve called out to her, "Azucena, we are on the lanai."

She set her purse on the sidebar in the living room and walked towards the voices. As she walked through the dining room, she could see the two ladies. The older one had curly, ginger hair and a smile more welcoming than she could imagine. The younger woman was trying her hardest to smile, and Azucena could tell it was forced. However, she knew the news of another sibling was hard to swallow; she knew from first hand experience. She took a deep breath, "Hello."

Mary took in the sight of Azucena; she was stunning. She wore long white dress pants and a green button-down blouse with flared cuffs. The green made her deep auburn hair shine. Mary could see traits of her mother in Azucena's cheekbones and her height. There was no denying they had a sister.

Deb was the first to speak. She stood up and walked towards Azucena. She didn't hug the girl, she merely placed her hands on Azucena's upper arms, "It is lovely to meet you, my dear. Steven told us all about you and we are quite excited to get to know you."

"I feel the same way about you both." Azucena replied, and a smile naturally graced Azucena's face. Steve let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He was so thankful Deb was here for this. She could make anyone feel welcome.

Deb slid one of her hands down Azucena's arm and gently pulled her towards the table, "Sit and tell us a little bit about yourself."

Azucena followed Deb's lead and sat down at the table. Steve spoke up, "How did the interviews go?"

"Pretty good. Duke's offered me the job on the spot, Cheesecake Factory was surprised I wanted to wait tables and not work in the kitchen with my resume. They offered me a job working in their pastry kitchen."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I feel like I can make more money waiting tables; but the pastry kitchen would be pretty easy, and it is something I enjoy. I was thinking about giving it a day to decide."

"Steve said you helped out in your family diner?" asked Mary, genuinely interested in someone who enjoyed cooking. Her forays in the food department consisted of either a salad or cooking a frozen pizza.

Azucena smiled at her sister, "Yeah, my folks ran the local diner in town. I spent a good chunk of my childhood in the kitchen, so it's kind of like home to me. Steve said you are a flight attendant and you teach music?"

She stated looking at each of them. Mary spoke up first, "Aunt Deb was on the road to be a professional singer, but then I got shipped to LA and she raised me. So now, she teaches kids to read music and sing, but you should hear her sing. She's amazing."

"What style do you like?" inquired Azucena.

"I enjoy older music, 50's and 60's timeframe."

"Nancy Sinatra, Etta James and Patsy Cline genre?" questioned Azucena.

"Oh, I just loved Nancy Sinatra and her boots!" exclaimed Deb.

"Those boots were fantastic, but I have always enjoyed Patsy Cline's, _Crazy._ " Shared Azucena.

"That one was a good one. _Walking After Midnight_ was another good one. It was so torchy back in the day." Remembered Deb, "I remember there was this guy John and I went to school with. Whenever that song came on the radio, I always imagined going walking after midnight with him. Oh, he was just such a nice-looking man."

"What was his name Aunt Deb?" asked Mary, smiling at her aunt's stroll down memory lane.

"Charles Matthews, oh he was just the bee's knees." Deb swooned a little.

"The bee's knees?" questioned Steve.

"Someone who is sought after, like the cat's pajamas." Supplied Azucena. Steve and Mary looked at Azucena, surprise on their faces. Deb understood how she knew this, "Those were common phrases your folks used, weren't they?"

"Oh yes." Laughed Azucena, thinking back to all the random phrases her folks used, "My favorites were when Jack would shake hands with a new customer and he would say, 'his handshake was like a wet sock.' Or when my room was especially messy Clara would say, 'I can't swing a dead cat in here without hitting something!' The language in our house was colorful, but not foul."

"Wet sock?" questioned Steve.

Deb explained, "The man had a limp handshake."

Steve and Mary looked at each other, they had never heard these phrases before and it was funny to hear Deb light up in laughter when she thought back to them.

"Flying all over the country must be fun. Have you been to New York?" Azucena asked Mary.

"I fly to New York about once a week, it's okay. It's so crowded." She shared.

"Have you seen any of the theater productions there?" asked Azucena.

"No, but one of my girlfriends and I are going to try and get tickets to see _Wicked_. Whenever we fly to New York, we always have to stay overnight, so it's on our list of things to do."

"That would be amazing!" exclaimed Azucena.

"You like the theater?" asked Deb.

"I've never been to a Broadway production, but the nearest big town back home always had a summer theater production. Most years we would go as a family."

"Azucena danced in _The Nutcracker_." Shared Steve.

"You danced ballet?" quizzed Mary. She remembered taking ballet lessons and hating every minute of it. Her mother always wanted her to dance, but she didn't want anything to do with it.

"Yeah, my mother," she paused and corrected herself, "our mother put me into dance class when I was three. I was in the _Nutcracker_ every year thereafter."

"Do you still dance?" asked Deb.

"No, I stopped a few years back."

"Why?" asked Deb.

"School became my priority and it's not exactly like I was going to get into Julliard." Supplied Azucena. She looked across the table at Mary, "Did she put you in dance classes?"

"Yeah, and it was horrible. I think I lasted one year."

"I think mom just gave up on you. I remember the fights before each class." Shared a laughing Steve.

"It just wasn't my thing." Retorted Mary.

"I know Steve was a pretty good football player; what were your interests?" Azucena quizzed Mary.

"I mostly ran around with the theater kids when I was in high school, but I was more into the behind the scenes stuff."

"Three completely different sets of interest, but I can see each of your parents shine through you all." Deb said. Azucena smiled, Deb was sweet, and she liked her. There was something about the woman that was comforting and calming.

The rest of the evening passed with the four of them sitting around the table talking. They cooked dinner, sat out on the lanai and passed the hours getting to know each other. It was comfortable and low key, just how Steve had hoped it would be.


	28. Chapter 28: Observations

_She could hear him sing her name, in that taunting sing-song way, "A-zu-ce-na . . . A-zu-ce-na . . ."_

 _She pushed through the pain of her injuries. Every breath she took felt like her lungs were on fire and her racing heart felt as if it would beat out of her chest. She could hear their bare feet slapping against the wet cement of the corridor. She looked to her right, Steve was keeping pace with her._

 _She heard him again. This time, the image of his bloody face flashed through her mind; the blood seeping from his broken nose and anger flaring in his eyes. She pushed everything from her mind and focused on the corridor, it was coming to a T. She glanced over at Steve, "Which way?"_

 _He pointed left, and she continued to push herself through the damp passageway. They rounded the corner and entered total darkness. She continued to run; but slowed her pace a bit because of the darkness. That's when she noticed Steve wasn't by her side; she couldn't hear him, "Steve? Steve?"_

 _She reached out in the darkness, and her hands landed on another human being. As she continued to reach for the person, the musky scent filled her nostrils. She screamed, "Steve!"_

 _There was a flash of light and she could see Wood's face. She backpedaled, and then turned to run. The instant she turned around, at the end of the corridor, she could see Steve. His hands were chained above his head again; his toes barely touching the ground. WoFat stood next to him, blood running down his face. WoFat started running towards her and Woods reached out and grabbed her from behind. . ._

Azucena bolted upright in bed; she was covered in sweat and her breathing was ragged and quick. She quickly glanced around the room, with the help of the moonlight she could see that it was empty. Woods and WoFat were nowhere to be found. She put her hand to her chest and fell back onto the bed. She stared at the ceiling as she tried to regulate her breathing. Her heart continued to thump in her chest.

She was thankful this time she hadn't scream out. If she had, it would have been horrifically embarrassing. But the dream itself was too real. The feeling of Wood's hands on her made her skin crawl. In every other dream she had lately, he never made contact with her. She was trapped, but always woke before WoFat or Woods could get her. This time was different. It took longer than normal for her heartrate to calm down and when it finally did, her hands were still shaking.

She looked over at the alarm clock, it read 4:30. She laid in bed and knew there wasn't a chance she was going to fall back asleep. This one had been too real.

She quietly pulled back the covers, tied her hair up into a messy bun, found her iPod, and quietly opened the door of her room. Without turning on any lights, she silently padded down the hallway. As she passed by Steve's door to the stairway his sleepy voice broke the silence, "You okay?"

She whispered back, hoping not to wake Deb or Mary, "Yeah, go back to sleep."

She heard him lower his head back to his pillow and she nimbly maneuvered the stairs in the dark. Once she was in the kitchen, she turned the light on above the stove and started the electric teapot. As the water warmed, she quietly collected all the ingredients for cinnamon rolls and went to work. She would work out her frustrations on the dough.

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One of the side effects of age is requiring less sleep. Deb had been awake since 3:00, but that was partly because of the time zone change. She had turned on the lamp next to her bed, picked up her current paperback, and just read while the rest of the house slept.

Deb heard the young girl gasp through the paper-thin walls and then she heard her fall back onto the mattress. Things were silent afterwards. Deb imagined after everything she had been told and overheard about the young woman's most recent experience, sleep did not come easily to her.

She continued to read her book and eventually she heard movement in the room next door. She could tell Azucena was trying her hardest to be quiet and honestly, Deb wouldn't have heard her if she had been asleep. She heard the bedroom door open. Deb knew Steve would hear her movements, the young man could hear a pin drop at a monster truck rally. Deb went back to her book, but kept her ears open.

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She left the pan holding the cinnamon rolls on the island, allowing them to rise. She took her second cup of tea and quietly wandered down to the chairs by the beach. It was still dark out, but the rays of the sun were just starting to peak over the water on the horizon. Azucena curled up in one of the chairs, her legs pulled up under her and her hands clutching the tea to her chest. This had become her morning routine over the past few weeks.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh, salty air. Working with the dough had calmed her; she could feel the need for sleep clawing at the back of her mind. She let the sound of the wind through the trees and the lapping of the waves along the shore relax her. _Estoy segura._

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Deb stood at the kitchen window waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, when she heard Steve's footfalls on the stairs. He appeared in his swim trunks with a towel, "Good morning Steven."

"Morning Aunt Deb." He walked over and kissed her on the cheek, "She down on the beach?"

"Yeah, curled up in a position I wouldn't exactly describe as comfortable."

"I swear the kid is a contortionist." Responded Steve, as he pulled two coffee mugs down from the cabinets. He placed them in front of the coffee pot and waited.

"She doesn't sleep well, does she?"

"No, not after everything she went through."

"What about you? You witnessed it. How are you sleeping?"

He was uncomfortable sharing details of everything with Aunt Deb, she wore her heart on her sleeve and she would worry, "I'm doing better. Occasionally, I will have an off night and it all floods my dreams and I wake up in a cold sweat. I haven't had one of those nights in a while."

"Do you guys talk about it?"

"The dreams or what happened?" questioned Steve.

"Both."

"In the beginning, she would wake up screaming from the dreams. The terror that ran through her body was real. Her teeth would chatter, she would shake, and she couldn't catch her breath. We talked about the dreams then, both of us." Steve reflected, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "Most nights, she doesn't wake up screaming anymore. She either sleeps the night through or she wakes herself up. She doesn't really talk about what happened, she's pushing it away. It's not healthy, but I can understand it. She is shutting it down and locking it away."

"It's eventually going to resurface if she doesn't deal with it." Offered Deb.

"I know that, and you know that, but you can't make someone talk about something they don't want to."

"Very true." Responded Deb, as the coffee finished brewing. Steve poured two cups and handed one to Deb. They both walked down towards the beach; Steve intentionally shuffled his feet. Deb looked over at him and then realized he was doing it so he wouldn't startle Azucena.

"Morning" Steve hollered in her direction. Her body twitched, and she began to stretch towards the sky with one arm. He realized he had woken her.

"Good morning." Azucena called over her shoulder. She switched her teacup to her other hand and stretched the newly freed arm to the sky. Deb took a seat in the chair next to Azucena. Steve draped his towel over the corner of Azucena's chair. "Wanna go for a run with me when I get done swimming?"

"Yeah." She yawned, "That would be nice."

Steve waded into the water and took off. Deb looked over to the young woman, "Did you make those cinnamon rolls rising on the counter?"

"Yes Ma'am." Answered Azucena, she sipped her lukewarm tea.

"Is there anything you can't make?" asked Deb, genuinely interested in the young woman's talents.

"Beans and rice."

"What?" questioned Deb.

"My mom would make beans and rice when I was a kid. It was a comfort food. It's not like it is some fancy dish to make, but I can't make it like she could. Every time I make it, it's missing something. I have tinkered with it for years and I can't get the recipe right." Shared Azucena. She was surprised with herself, she didn't expect to be that honest with Deb. However, it just came out and she couldn't stop it.

"You miss her." Stated Deb.

"No more than Steve or Mary, I suppose; but yeah, I do." She paused, and then she looked over to Deb and asked in a soft voice, "What was my dad like?"

Deb paused, she missed her brother. He would have been over the moon to find out he had another daughter. "John was a wonderful man. He wore his heart on his sleeve and he was just a genuinely nice person. He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it."

"Did he always want to be a cop?"

"Yes, he always wanted to make sure the world was a safe place."

"Was he older than you or younger?"

"He was the oldest and he was fiercely protective of me." She paused, and shared an observation, "Just like I see how protective Steve is of you."

"Steve is a good man."

"He is worried about you." Pushed Deb.

"I worry about him." she shared, the honesty flowing out of her. "What WoFat did to me was terrible, but Steve had to witness it. I don't think anything could be worse than that."

"I think you both went through a horrific ordeal and the road to recovery will be a long one for the both of you." Deb paused, she reached her hand out to the young woman's arm and gently held her arm. "Please take care of each other and don't be afraid to talk about it. You both won't get better until you address it."

Azucena didn't know what to say. She placed her hand over Deb's and softly said, "Thank you."


	29. Chapter 29: Exercising Your Demons

After Azucena explained the baking directions of the cinnamon rolls to Deb, she and Steve headed down the driveway for a morning run. Steve let her set the pace and adjusted his stride as necessary. They headed north, "You up for a longer run today?"

"Sure."

"There's a good-sized hill that has an incredible view. There and back will be about five miles."

"Works for me." She said, and they ran together in silence for a while. Steve mulled over the events of the early morning and debated whether to say anything. He knew Deb was right. If they didn't talk about it, the healing process was going to take much longer.

"You doing okay?" he asked, eyes on the road ahead of them. He knew better than to look at her when he asked the question. She was always more open with him on this subject when she could avoid eye contact. He chalked it up to embarrassment.

"Yeah, I'm good." She responded, "You okay?"

"I'm worried about you." He answered, honestly.

"I'm not certain you need to be. My wounds have healed, I'm getting back into running, school starts soon, and at some point in time today I have to decide what job offer I want to accept." She worked hard to ignore the fact that she wasn't sleeping well, and she damn well didn't want to discuss it. "Yesterday went surprisingly well, so that was a positive. I don't think things can get much better than that."

"How are you sleeping?" he decided it was best to just rip the Band-Aid off. He knew she was going to work to avoid talking about it. It was one thing to discuss it in the middle of the night after he had witnessed the devastation of the dreams, but another thing to talk about it in broad daylight when things were going well.

"Better than I have been in the last month." She responded, her speed picking up a little. Steve realized her stride had changed. She was so focused on the road ahead of them and trying to maintain her composure on the topic; she didn't realize her increase in speed.

"Want to talk about this morning?"

"Not particularly." She answered in full honesty. She was fighting him every step of the way on this discussion, but he had watched her over the last month. She would push him away and say no, she would think about everything, and then she would turn into Danny and just spill her guts. He knew it was only a matter of time before she would share. She knew he was safe, not many other people were in her world.

They ran for another half a mile before the dam broke. And when it broke, she just rattled like a BB in a boxcar. Steve was prepared for it, but it also took him by surprise. They turned left with the road when she opened up, "It's the same dream as every other time, but last night, he touched me, and it was so real."

She paused, took a deep breath and continued to explain, "We run down the hallway and at some point, you disappear. Then the tunnel turns dark and I can see you at the other end. You are chained up again and WoFat is standing next to you. There is nothing I can do to help you and before I know it, he has his hands around me and I'm fighting against him.

"It was so real that I swear to God, I could feel his fingers dig into my waist, I could feel his breath on my neck, and his smell was so overpowering that I couldn't breathe." Her pace was faster than Steve had ever witnessed, he was having to work to keep up with her. He knew she was a fast runner, and in this moment, Steve was experiencing her speed.

"In every dream before last night, he has never touched me. I have run into him and backed away, but I couldn't get away fast enough last night and the feeling of his hands on me made my skin crawl." She reflected. She was being honest, but was purposefully leaving out the fact that it was Woods that touched her and not WoFat. It didn't matter if it was Woods or WoFat; if either one had touched her the reaction would have been the same. All the monsters in her life had found places in her nightmares. It used to be one on one, now it was two against one.

"When I finally woke up, I just couldn't go back to sleep. I had too many emotions running through me." She finished, as they reached the top of the hill they had been climbing. She stopped and took in the view, "My God, this is beautiful."

Steve was breathing harder than he expected, resting his hands on his knees, he took in the view and was thankful for the break. He realized now how she had kept up with him through the bunker, even though she had been injured.

After a few minutes break, they headed back down the hill and towards home. Azucena slowed her stride, and looked over at Steve, "You doin' okay?"

"Yeah, do you realize how fast you run?" he questioned, curiosity in his voice.

"Six-minute miles on a good day."

"Regardless of what happened this morning, today is a good running day for you. I think you just made a two-and-a-half-mile personal record."

"What?" asked Azucena, as she glanced at her watch. Steve was right, it showed her splits as a little under six minutes. She had been oblivious to her speed and how her body felt, because she had been so wrapped up in unloading the drama from the dream. "Well, there's another positive to the day."

"What are you going to do on the job front?" asked Steve, changing the topic to something a little less sensitive.

"I thought I would want to wait tables again. But honestly, I love working in the kitchen. It's calming and I kind of feel like it's in my blood. I think I'm going to work in the pastry kitchen at Cheesecake Factory."

"I'm glad to hear that." In fact, he was relieved to hear it. Steve knew WoFat was still out there. He knew WoFat and his men were capable of anything, but waiting tables would make her much more exposed than working in the kitchen. WoFat had found her at _The Vault_ , but hopefully with Steve watching out for her she would be a little safer.

They made it back home and slowed their run up the driveway. As they walked through the front door the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls wafted in their direction. Deb was spreading the icing on the rolls while Mary stood in the kitchen in her bikini and sarong, sipping coffee.

"Good Morning, exercise freaks." Greeted Mary.

"Morning Mare." Responded Steve, as he rummaged for a bottle of water in the fridge. He tossed one to Azucena.

"Morning." Azucena offered, as she caught the cold water bottle. She opened it and greedily drank half of it. Deb dished out four cinnamon rolls and placed them on plates. Everyone wandered out to the table on the lanai and ate breakfast together. As breakfast ended, Deb asked, "What are everyone's plans for the day."

Mary was the first to interject, "I plan to lay on the beach for most of the morning and relax."

"I don't have to work today, so a beach day sounds just fine to me." Answered Steve, a calm smile spread over his face.

"I have to make sugar cookie dough, but I can do that this afternoon and roll them out and bake them this evening." Shared Azucena.

"Oh, a day on the beach and an evening baking cookies. I think this sounds wonderful!" announced Deb. She truly was excited to help with the cookies. The last time she had cut out sugar cookies, Steve and Mary were little kids.

After dishes were done, Steve and Mary wandered down to the beach. Azucena ran upstairs and rummaged through her dresser to find her old swimsuits. She pulled out the blue and white checkered one piece. The back was open, and the neckline plunged down to almost her bellybutton, but there was a tie in the front that held the pieces together. The tie also ensured everything stayed covered. Mary's bikini left little to the imagination, where as Azucena's suit was more conservative, but captivating.

Azucena looked in the mirror, she could see the scar from where Malia had cut her open to relieve the pressure from the collapsed lung. The purple line peaked out the side of her suit. She ran her finger softly across the scar. It was ugly. She looked down at the faded scar that ran the length of her thigh, it was almost unnoticeable now. That one had taken two and a half years to fade. She hoped this new one would fade faster.

She wandered down to the beach and saw Mary stretched out on a towel basking in the rays of the sun. Steve sat in one of the chairs on the beach and just watched the horizon. Azucena placed her towel over the empty chair and slowly waded into the water. It had been seven months since she had last been in the water. She stood in the waist high water and let the waves splash against her. It had a calming effect she hadn't realized she missed. She really was in paradise.


	30. Chapter 30: Family II

**Two things to mention before you read this chapter.**

 **I posted two chapters last weekend. They were pretty close together, so it might look like there was only one update, but actually two.**

 **This chapter has a little more violence in it. I need to get better about prefacing each chapter if there is violence. Hopefully I haven't offended anyone and I will work better to inform people if a chapter contains violent material.**

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Azucena thought she was in paradise until she got a wave of water to the face. Normally this wouldn't phase her in the least; but she grew up in freshwater and salt water was dramatically different. She coughed, sputtered, and spit the water out of her mouth as much as she could, but the salt lingered on her lips.

The reactions from her siblings was completely different. Steve expressed concern by standing up from his beach chair and yelling, "You okay?"

Whereas, Mary didn't move from her towel, merely lifted her head, and hollered out, "You're not in Kansas anymore, huh?"

Azucena waded through the water towards shore. She sat down in the chair next to Steve, and using her towel, wiped at her mouth. "That is disgusting."

Mary laughed, "You get used to it."

"Doubtful." Azucena responded, and stared out over the water. Deb wandered down and sat herself in a chair. The four of them enjoyed the rays of the sun, an occasional dip in the water, and the breeze brushing their skin.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

As the afternoon approached, Steve decided it was time for lunch, "Anyone besides me hungry?"

"I'm famished." Responded Mary, who had done nothing all morning besides turn over on her beach towel. Azucena started to stand up, "I'll help you make lunch."

"Nah, stay out here and enjoy the day. I've got this." Steve stood. Deb followed behind him, her excuse was flimsy at best, "I want to get out of the wind for a little bit."

Azucena went back to reading her book in the shade, while Mary continued to worship the sun. A short while had passed before Azucena was surprised to hear Mary speak, "They tried to get me too, you know?"

Azucena would have thought she imagined everything, as Mary hadn't moved a muscle, "Excuse me?"

Mary turned her head, pulled her sunglasses down, and looked at Azucena. "I moved back out here last year and was looking into our mother's death. One night, I wake up to hear three guys break into my apartment. I tried to fight them off, but they used a taser on me."

"That's horrible."

"I woke up in the trunk of a car with my hands tied." She paused, remembering back to the terror of the moment.

"How did you get out?" asked Azucena, with genuine concern in her voice.

"I called Steve and he traced my number. Him and Danny commandeered a helicopter and found me."

"You must have been terrified."

"Terrified doesn't even begin to cover it. Those guys were getting ready to kill me and dispose of my body." Mary paused, she reflected on everything. "I'm not telling you this to compare battle wounds. I'm telling you because it scared the shit out of me. I didn't sleep well for about three months. I just want you to know it gets better."

"Did I wake you up last night?" Concerned that she had woken Mary and Deb.

"No, but it's been barely a month since someone broke into your house and then tortured you; I can understand how you might struggle. It gets easier."

Azucena processed everything Mary told her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Responded Mary as she pulled her shades back over her eyes and stared at the sky. Azucena couldn't help but ask, "Is that why you went back to LA?"

"Steve sent me back to the mainland. It was too dangerous on the island with all the Yakuza." She answered, as she continued to lay still and soak in the sun's rays. Azucena turned this information over in her brain.

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Steve washed the lettuce while Deb chopped up the rest of the vegetables for the salad, "Mary's handling this much better than I expected."

"Aunt Deb, I was terrified this was going to go sideways." Reflected Steve, "At first, I thought it would be fine, but the closer it came to you guys flying out, the more nervous I became. I'm so proud of Mary and all she has accomplished. She's grown so much, but I was honestly a little afraid that she would resent Azucena."

"You aren't the only one who had that concern. When you broke the news to us at lunch, I wanted to do everything I could to make sure Mary was okay with this. It honestly broke my heart when she asked if Doris was still alive."

"I had the same hope for a moment or two when I found out about Azucena. But when I read the CIA report and DCF report on her, I realized mom really was dead. I don't know how you walk out on two families, but a kid with no one else in her life? Not possible."

"Who is DCF? That is an alphabet soup name I'm not familiar with."

"Department of Children and Families, it's the state-run agency that takes care of foster kids in Kansas."

"From the way she talked about them last night, her foster parents sound like they were good people." Offered Deb, as she finished chopping everything and took the cleaned lettuce from Steve.

"Yeah, I get that impression too." Steve paused, and debated whether to say anything. Deb saw the conflict in his face and encouraged him. "Just tell me what it is. I think all the surprises in our family are gone."

"Joe White knew about her the whole time. He stopped into the diner about every quarter and checked up on her. She never knew anything about him, but he knew everything about her."

"Joe is a man of many secrets and I'm certain he is struggling to live with some of his choices. Your father always liked Joe and trusted him. You guys just be careful." She said, shaking the knife with her hand as she talked.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

 _She wakes up to her hands tied above her head, the tips of her toes touching the cold, cement ground. The hard metal of the chain digs into her wrists. She glances around the room and Steve is tied up, hands above his head. He is unconscious. She can tell he has been beaten, blood oozes from the side of his mouth, his left eye swollen._

 _She hears the metal on metal clanking as the door to the room is open. She turns her head to see what fresh hell awaits them. WoFat and Woods. WoFat has nothing in his hands. She knows he needs no weapon, his hands can inflict enough damage to kill a person. She glances at Woods, there's his knife. She remembered that knife and the pain it inflicted, physical and emotional._

 _WoFat pulls something from his pocket, tears the pouch open, and waves it under Steve's nose. He wakes up instantly. She can see the pain roll through him as he gains consciousness. WoFat smiles, "Well, well, well, big brother decided to join us."_

 _WoFat punches Steve in the gut, an agonizing groan escapes Steve's lips. Azucena fights the chains, "Don't touch him! Leave him alone!"_

" _Oh little sister, you will both get a turn today. That's why I brought him with me." WoFat gestures towards Woods, "I know the pain I can inflict on you, but I know he can provide more immediate results. I know your Achilles heel."_

 _Woods walks behind her and raises the knife, placing it against her throat. "Remember me?"_

 _She freezes, knowing one small movement could cause the knife to pierce her skin. She remembers the sharpness of the blade and how easily it sliced her thigh. Deep within herself, she finds her courage, "Go to hell!"_

" _Darlin' you've been there once. We can go back, that's not a problem." He pulls back the knife, walks around to face her and backhand's her across the face with his free hand._

" _Hey, leave her alone!" Hollers Steve, as he watches their exchange, confusion clouding his face. He starts to fight against the chains when he sees Woods take the tip of his knife and traces it over her torso. As he is cutting away her clothes, he leaves a trail of blood behind. The pain is overwhelming, she didn't remember it hurting this much the last time. Maybe the last time it was dulled because of shock, or this time is worse because she knows what will happen. Either way, the tears begin to fall as she cries out, "Not again . . . no, no, no, not again! Por favor, déjame en paz!"_

Steve flips the light on in Azucena's room, Deb stands behind him in the doorway. He quickly approaches her bed and keeps himself at arms distance. He can remember the hospital room when she came up swinging with her claw-like nails. She's knotted up in the sheets and Steve can see she's trapped in another night terror, "Azucena, wake up. It's just a dream. He's not here. It's just a dream."

Mary stumbles out into the hallway and stands by Deb, "What's going on?"

Steve keeps talking to Azucena, "He's not here, wake up. Estás segura."

She lurches forward to fight against her attacker and her eyes land on Steve. He is safe and he isn't injured. She begins to sob, words coming out between gasps for air and she throws her arms around Steve. "WoFat . . . Woods. . . he was going to hurt you . . . knife . . . hurt so bad."

Deb pushes Mary out of the room and she closes the door to give Azucena privacy. Steve never takes his eyes off Azucena. "I'm safe, I'm not hurt."

"He punched you and it was going to get so much worse."

"I'm okay, he didn't hurt me." He paused, thinking about her words as he rubbed soothing circles on her back. There wasn't a knife when WoFat had them the last time. Her dreams were starting to take on a life of their own. He always thought it was weird when she says they are in the woods and the corridor, but if you grew up in the country, you might think of the jungle as the woods. The corridor must lead to the jungle in her nightmares.

He thinks maybe it's time she talks to someone, but now is not the time to bring that up. He can still feel her body tremble and her breathing is still rapid. "Shh, shh, shh, everything is okay. You're safe. I'm safe."

Her words were a whisper, "It was so real. I could feel the knife."

"It was just a nightmare, it's not real."

She pulls back from him and wipes her eyes with her hands. She avoids eye contact and says, "I'm sorry."

"Hey, nothing to be sorry about." He says, as he places his hand on her cheek and gently coaxes her to look at him. He knows better than to reach under her chin. "This is normal. This will get better. We will get through this."

She squeezes her eyes shut and nods her head, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm going to go wash my face and go downstairs for a while." She pauses and reflects on everything, horror crossing her face. "Deb and Mary?"

"Not a big deal."

"I woke them up. They saw it?" she's horrified. Steve places his hand on her cheek again, "Hey, hey, hey, they understand. They get it."

"This is terribly embarrassing." She says, as she pulls back the covers and Steve stands up from sitting on the edge of her bed. She stands and Steve places his hands on her shoulders, "Go wash your face, get a drink of water, just relax. They aren't going to say anything."

He watches her as she walks out of her room and to the bathroom. She closes the door and splashes cool water on her face. The dreams are getting worse, they are becoming more and more real. It's been almost two and a half years; she begins to wonder if this is a sign. Is he out of prison? Did they not tell her? Or was the WoFat experience bringing everything back to the surface? This needed to stop. She would do some research tomorrow, make some phone calls. She prayed nothing had changed.

She listened at the bathroom door for voices. She wanted to avoid everyone in every possible way. She didn't hear anything. She quietly opened the bathroom door, saw the light in Steve's bedroom was on, and then slipped down the stairs.

She ran a cup of water from the sink and slowly drank it, thinking to herself, "Calm down. You're safe, Steve's safe. Neither of them are here."

She turned off the kitchen light, plugged in the Christmas tree and let the soft glow of the twinkling lights lull her into relaxation. She worked to direct her mind to anything besides Woods and WoFat. She thought about Tommy and Frog, what were they doing right now? She thought back to the last Christmas with Jack and how he was so excited to give her the iPod that she had been wanting. Jack, she missed him.

It took some time, but she managed to relax. She fell asleep in the corner of the sofa, enjoying the soft glow of the Christmas tree.

Steve walked out of the hallway and glanced down in the living room. She was curled up in the corner of the sofa with a blanket. Her legs pulled up under her in an awkward manner. That's when he realized how small she could make herself. It seems like every time WoFat darkened her world, she curled up and became as small as possible.

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 **Comments are appreciated, but definitely not required. I hope you continue to enjoy this story.**


	31. Chapter 31: Calling the cops

Steve silently slipped down the stairs, Azucena was still asleep in the corner of the sofa. He didn't want to wake her. Deb was already sitting on the lanai with a cup of coffee and her book. He quietly let himself out of the house, towel in hand, ready for his swim. "How long you been awake, Aunt Deb?"

"An hour; just thought I would get up and enjoy this gorgeous weather." She paused, debating whether to say anything, "Steven, last night was just awful."

"Yeah, last night was a bad one." He answered, collapsing into the chair across the table from her. "I can't tell if things are improving and last night was just a fluke; or if they are getting worse."

"Have they been worse than last night?"

"Sometimes she will wake, but she can't see me right away. She's still fighting WoFat in her dreams. It takes her a minute to reorient. Once she realizes she's safe, she dissolves into tears normally and apologizes for everything."

"This isn't healthy."

"It's not healthy, but it is normal. It's a form of PTSD." He paused, he ran his hand through his hair and was honest, "I've gone through it a few times after bad missions. I think I might handle it a little better than her because I'm trained to deal with the unpleasant aspects of war. She's not."

"I know you can't talk about any of your missions, but how bad was what happened compared to what you have been through?"

"I've only been in two other situations that were worse, but that is all I can say."

"My heart breaks for all three of you. This man has wrecked so much havoc in your lives, but I am thankful we found her. I guess that is the only silver lining."

"Yeah, that is the one positive in this whole thing." Shared Steve.

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Azucena woke up on the sofa and stretched. Once she was able to calm down last night, she did get a good night's sleep. However, she knew she had to run herself ragged. It had worked the last time, and she was bound and determined to make it work this time.

She climbed the stairs to change into her running clothes. As she changed, she looked at the scar on her thigh, it was almost invisible. She compared that to the marks around her wrists from the chains and the incision mark from Malia. Those marks were much more noticeable, she just had to wait for them to fade. Everything fades with time, she thought.

As she left her room, she ran into Mary, heading down the stairs. She tried her best to pretend like nothing had happened last night, "Morning."

"Morning" replied Mary, "You okay?"

"Yeah," she answered, as she grabbed the handle to the front door, "Going for a run. I'll be back in a little bit. I'll have my phone with me."

It was too early for Mary to think clearly, "Okay."

Azucena exited the front door and let her legs take over. Sometimes the best part of running was how she could just turn her mind off and go. She didn't have to think, didn't have to care; she could just be.

She loved the sound of the birds chirping and the leaves rustling in the trees as she ran. After she stopped dancing, this had become her way to calm herself and find her balance. She always felt better after a run.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve emerged from the water, he had swum an extra half mile because he kept running through everything from previous night. Every time she woke from a night terror, his heart ached for her, but last night was different. The words she had screamed out tore him up inside. She was begging WoFat to leave her alone. _Déjame en paz!_

 _Leave me in peace._ He knew exactly what kind of horror and torment she had endured to beg someone to leave her alone. Leave me in peace. Maybe it was time to have her talk to someone. Malia had suggested it last month, but he hadn't pushed her. Maybe now it was time to suggest it.

He walked up to the lanai and reached the table where Deb and Mary sat with their cups of morning coffee. Steve continued to dry off with the towel and looked for his shoes, "Morning Mare."

"Morning, how was your swim?"

"Good, thanks for asking." He slipped his shoes on, "Anyone seen Azucena yet?"

"Yeah," answered Mary, "she left for a run when I came down this morning."

"How long ago did she leave?" questioned Steve.

"About fifteen minutes."

He thought about it, he would never catch up to her and he didn't know which direction she had taken off in. Deb could see him debating internally, "Let her be Steven, she probably needs a little time to herself."

Steve knew Deb was right, "I'll be back in about half an hour."

"We'll be here." Answered Mary, cheerfully.

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Azucena had run out about five miles before she felt calm enough to make the dreadful phone call. She was never going to feel completely safe with WoFat out there, but if she could confirm Woods was still in prison, things would be a little better.

She stopped at a local park, took a drink from the drinking fountain, and paced by a park bench. She couldn't stand still as she scrolled through her contacts list. Her hands shook as she came across the name, Detective Sam Lorenzo. She tapped the contact, almost as if it burned her finger.

She waited through three rings before she heard the familiar voice. His voice was warm and soft, but it always brought back memories of something terrible, "Lorenzo."

"Detective Lorenzo, it's Azucena Santiago."

"Azucena, it's been a long time." He paused, he was friendly, like always, "I hope things are going well for you."

"Not bad, yourself?" she asked, she was always taught to be polite. However, she was also hesitant to ask her question; she wasn't certain she wanted to know the answer.

"Things are good, I can't complain." He paused, "What can I do for you?"

"Frank Woods," she paused, swallowing the lump in her throat. Did she really want to know? If he told her something she didn't want to hear, what was she going to do with the information? She pushed the fear down, "Is he still in prison?"

"Yeah kid, he's still there." His voice serious, she very rarely called him, so when she did, it was important. Her case had left a mark on him. He would take her call any time of the day.

"Thank you." She responded, relief rushing her body.

"You call anytime." He answered.

"Thanks! And Sam, have a Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas Azucena." And with that, she disconnected.

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Steve returned home to find Deb and Mary in the kitchen, prepping the turkey for the roaster. They were in the beginning stages of lifting the bird into the roaster when Steve walked in, "That bird is bigger than we thought, huh?"

"Yes, but Aunt Deb is determined to get this thing to fit." Answered Mary, as she helped lift the thawed carcass into the roaster. Once they managed to get it in the roaster, they both stood at the sink to wash their hands and part of their arms.

"What can I help with?" asked Steve.

"You can go take a shower," announced Mary, "I can smell the ammonia from here."

"Fine, but after that, I'm helping." Answered Steve, as he left the kitchen for the stairs. As he walked through the living room the front door opened, Azucena walked through. He could see that she looked lighter.

"How was your run?" he asked her.

"It was good. I'm definitely getting back into my stride." She answered, her eyes were almost happy. "How was your workout?"

"Good, I was going to see if you wanted to run with me, but you were gone when I was done swimming." He didn't want it to sound accusatory. He was just concerned about her.

"Yeah, I needed to clear my head. Find my balance, if that makes any sense." She said, she wasn't lying. She needed to get out and forget everything for a while. Forget the bad, the good, and everything in between. She just wanted to let her legs pound out every aggression, concern and thought on the pavement.

"I get it. You look relaxed."

"Well, I hope so. We have a quite the day ahead of us. I believe there are three pies in my future."

"Pumpkin, pecan and what was the third?"

"Cherry pie! How can you forget the best pie on the face of the planet?" she laughed, happiness truly spread across her face in this moment. Steve still had his concerns, but right now, she was the happy sister he had gotten to know. This would work, for now.


	32. Chapter 32: Mele Kalikimaka

Steve opened the door to see Danny and Grace, Danny's arms loaded down with a casserole dish. Grace ran straight at Steve, and wrapped her arms around his long legs, "Uncle Steve!"

"Mele Kalikimaka Grace!"

"Mele Kalikimaka, Uncle Steve!" Gracie responded. She pulled back and looked around to see who all was there. Grace spotted Azucena and ran directly towards her yelling, "Auntie Cena!"

Azucena placed her glass of tea on the coffee table and crouched down to fully embrace Grace, as she launched herself into Azucena's arms. Azucena was overwhelmed by the little girl's loving nature and closed her eyes to enjoy the moment. "Merry Christmas, Miss Grace."

"Merry Christmas, Auntie Cena!" the little girl replied. Grace pulled back from the woman and said, "I tried so hard to pronounce your name, but I just can't get it yet. Danno said I had to ask, but can I call you Auntie Cena?"

"I think that would be lovely, Grace." Azucena conceded, as a smile spread across her face. She took in the little girl's appearance, "Now let me see the gorgeous dress you have on!"

Grace stepped back from Azucena and spun around so her little red dress twirled. The little girl stopped after two spins, "Auntie Cena, can I see your hair?"

Azucena, who was still crouched down, turned her head so Grace could inspect the updo with ringlet curls sliding down the crown of her head from various angles. The little girl oohed in fascination, "Auntie Cena, your hair is so pretty!"

"Well, I think your dad did a fantastic job on your hair tonight!"

"I wish my hair had curls like yours." The little girl confided, enviously.

"Well, if you ask your dad, I'm more than happy to take you upstairs and get out my curling iron and add some curls to your already beautiful locks."

Grace spun around and ran straight to Danny, "Danno, Danno, please! Can Auntie Cena put curls in my hair?"

"If she is up for it, that's fine with me." Answered Danny, looking to a smiling Azucena. Azucena stood up to her full height, held out her hand for Grace and they headed upstairs to curl the little girl's hair.

"She's so good with Grace." Said Danny, as he and Steve watched them climb the stairs. Mary approached them, with her arms open for the casserole dish. Danny handed the dish to Mary, "Merry Christmas Mary, good to see you."

"It's good to see you too Danny." She took the dish and inspected it as Danny explained, "Homemade macaroni and cheese, it's a staple in the Williams Christmas tradition."

"I love mac and cheese." Responded Mary, she turned and took the dish to the kitchen.

"How is everything going?" asked Danny, gesturing with his head towards Mary.

"Surprisingly well, everyone is getting along, and they welcomed her with open arms." Replied Steve, "You want a beer?"

"Yeah, that would be good." As they headed for the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Steve turned to get the door and Danny headed towards the fridge in the kitchen.

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"Auntie Cena," asked Grace, as she sat cross-legged on the bathroom counter, "do you like Christmas carols?"

"Oh Grace, I love Christmas carols." She thought back to her childhood in Silver Pond, "In the town I grew up in, we would go caroling the few nights leading up to Christmas."

"Really? You would go to stranger's houses and sing outside their door?"

"Oh yes, it was one of my favorite Christmas activities." She held the curling iron in place for a moment and then loosened it, "What's your favorite Christmas activity?"

"Grandma Williams would make cookies every year and she would have me over and we would decorate cookies." The little girl looked down at her hands, slightly sad, "We couldn't do that this year."

"Well Grace, I'm not your Grandma Williams, but I did happen to make some sugar cookies last night with some help. Do you think you could help us decorate them tonight?" she watched as the little girl's face lit up. "Really Auntie Cena? I would love to do that!"

"Fantastic! How about we do that after dinner?"

"Oh, I can hardly wait!" Grace exclaimed, she buzzed with excitement. As Azucena continued to work on Grace's hair, the little girl looked to her, "Auntie Cena, if you loved to go caroling, what is your favorite Christmas song?"

" _Go Tell It On The Mountain_."

"I don't know that song. Will you sing it to me?" she asked, honestly curious. Azucena didn't think anything of the request, she was so wrapped up in the conversation with the little girl, that she acquiesced.

 _Go tell it on the mountain  
Over the hill and everywhere  
Go tell it on the mountain  
That Jesus Christ is born_

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve answered the door to Chin and Malia standing on his front porch with a bottle of wine and a plate of poke to share with everyone, "Mele Kalikimaka!"

"Mele Kalikimaka!" answered Steve as he ushered them into his home. He took the plate of poke, motioning towards the bottle of wine in his hand, "Want this to drink or something else?"

"I'll have a beer." Answered Chin.

"Wine for me, please." Answered Malia. He headed off to the kitchen, and Deb walked into the living room to welcome Malia and Chin, "Alright, which one of you made the poke?"

"Guilty." Supplied Chin.

"Oh, I'm so happy you made it. It takes me right back to my childhood." She shared, happiness rolling off her in waves. "How are you both?"

They fell into small talk as Steve arrived with drinks for them. They were chatting away, when Steve heard it first. It was soft, faint singing. It almost sounded like gospel music. He glanced up the stairs, to the sound. Deb was the second person to hear it, and it had grown a little louder, but it was still faint.

 _While shepherds kept there watching  
Over silent flocks by night  
Behold throughout the heavens  
There shown a holy light_

Deb looked to Steve, "Is that who I think it is?"

"Yeah, she definitely inherited her musical ability from your side of the family." Steve answered with a smile. Deb looked to Chin and Malia, "Please excuse me."

She started for the stairs, and quietly climbed them. She didn't want to startle Azucena and have her stop singing. She wanted to hear this incredible voice in person. As she reached the top step, she silently made her way down the hallway.

She stood on the far side of the hallway, out of view, and listened to the chorus,

 _Go tell it on the mountain  
Over the hill and everywhere  
Go tell it on the mountain  
That Jesus Christ is born_

Deb started singing the next verse in the hallway, and walked towards the bathroom doorway. Azucena looked up from the curling iron in her hand, and smiled at Deb. They sang the rest of the song together, their voices complementing each other's. Grace sat there in awe at the two women.

 _The shepherds feared and trembled  
When low above the earth  
Rang out the angel chorus  
That hailed the Savior's birth_

 _Go tell it on the mountain  
Over the hill and everywhere  
Go tell it on the mountain  
That Jesus Christ is born_

"That was beautiful!" exclaimed Grace, when they had finished. Azucena was overcome with joy, but also embarrassed. She didn't sing in front of people anymore and this was a bigger audience than she was used to. She had just sung that song to entertain Grace; but when she felt the song in her soul, she couldn't keep it in any longer. She sang with her heart.

"Speaking of beautiful, let's check out these curls!" said Azucena, as she put the last spray of hairspray in Grace's hair. The little girl turned her head to admire her hair in the mirror, "Thank you Auntie Cena! I love it! I have to go show Danno!"

Azucena helped the girl off the counter and she ran down the hallway; they could hear her feet dance down the staircase. She looked at Deb, "Steve and Mary said you could sing, I don't think they gave you enough credit, you're amazing."

"Thank you, my dear." Said Deb, as she watched Azucena unplug the curling iron. "Steve wasn't exaggerating about you either. Church choir?"

"Church and school, we all had to sing in the choir." Deflected Azucena, the red flush still in her cheeks. She wanted to change the subject, "Is everyone here? I can come help with the food. I just couldn't say no to that little girl."

"My guess is you were the go to person when it came to solos, but for some reason, you don't do that anymore." Observed Deb, too accurate for Azucena to be comfortable.

"I did plenty of solos when I was younger, but there are so many kids with incredible talent. It was time to pass the torch." She responded, honestly.

"Oh my dear, I don't buy that for a minute. You don't like the attention it brings to you." Deb stated, she watched Azucena flinch, "And I'll bet that is why you stopped dancing when you were younger too."

"Were you a detective in your past life, Deb?" Azucena laughed, hoping to distract from the truth of Deb's words. She placed the hairspray in a cabinet and set the curling iron to the side, allowing it to cool.

"Honey, whatever happened to you, don't let that dull your shine. You are incredibly talented."

Azucena figured it was best not to protest any further and just accept the advice given to her, "Thank you, I appreciate it."

Deb turned around and headed back to the party downstairs. Azucena looked in the mirror, she could see the ghost of the person she had once been. The young girl that sang more solos with the church choir than any other member of the congregation. The ballet dancer, who for her final three years of dancing, was the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker. Woods had taken so much from her, and she had allowed it.

Jack and the boys had encouraged her to get back into dancing, Tommy pushed her to go back to the church choir, but she couldn't handle the feeling of all those eyes on her. Those eyes that knew everything, and the pity that clouded those eyes. She began to think that Hawaii was different, no one here knew about everything. Maybe it was time to get back to doing what she loved and not just in the kitchen. She decided right then and there that she would see if U of H offered any dance classes.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve laughed as Grace raced down the stairs and the curls bounced with every step she took, "Danno, look what Auntie Cena did! Isn't it beautiful?"

Danny took in the imagine of his gorgeous daughter, "You look beautiful Monkey."

While all the adults were fawning over Grace, Steve saw Deb come down the stairs alone. She had the biggest smile on her face, as she walked over to her nephew and placed her arm in his, "Her voice is absolutely spectacular Steven."

"I thought you would be impressed." Steve glanced up the stairs, "Where is she?"

"She should be down in a minute."

"Did she get embarrassed?"

"Yeah, she doesn't like attention." Stated Deb.

"I've noticed that too." Responded Steve, as he saw Azucena on the landing. He watched as she took in the view of all the people, took a deep breath, and quietly slipped down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Hey Mary, what can I help with?" asked Azucena, as she walked into the kitchen and took in the sight of all the food spread everywhere.

Mary was busy cutting hunks of meat off the turkey, "There is macaroni and cheese, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes warming in the oven. If you'd pull those out and open them up, we should be able to start serving soon."

Azucena grabbed a pair of hot pads and emptied the oven of it's contents. As Azucena started pulling aluminum foil off the pans, Kono walked into the kitchen, "¡Feliz Navidad!"

Azucena looked up in surprise, it had been ages since she had heard that, and it made her heart so happy. She grinned from ear to ear, "¡Feliz Navidad!"

"How can I help?" asked Kono. Mary spoke up, "There is poke, poi and deviled eggs in the fridge, want to pull those out and take them to the buffet?"

"Of course." Answered Kono, as she started to pull dishes from the refrigerator. Before too long, everyone was helping to get ready for dinner. All the food had been set on the impromptu buffet of tables standing end to end, everyone was crammed in the dining room, and waiting for Steve to say a few words.

Azucena stood towards the back of the group, next to Mary. She was much more comfortable in the kitchen with Mary. Steve beamed in happiness, "I just want to say thanks for coming over tonight. You all truly are ohana to us and we are thankful for the times we get to spend with each and everyone of you. I'm thankful Mary and Aunt Deb could make it out for this holiday and especially grateful for Azucena becoming a part of our ohana. Mele Kalikimaka!"

Everyone raised their glasses and toasted, "Mele Kalikimaka!"

Everyone except for Danny, "Merry Christmas!"

The whole group eventually made it through the food line, and everyone sat at various places throughout the house. Conversations flowed, laughter was shared, and it was a beautiful night.

After dinner was over, Azucena pulled out the sugar cookies and Grace was thrilled to have the opportunity to decorate. It was surprising who sat down and decorated cookies with Grace. Kamekona had an incredibly delicate touch when it came to decorating, Uncle Steve's cookies were covered in camouflage icing, Kono's gingerbread girl was clad in a bikini, and Malia's steady hand made for an intricately decorated Christmas tree cookie.

As the evening ended, each person helped pick up and eventually set out for their own homes. When the last guest left the house, Azucena noticed Steve take the Christmas key and move it from the hook inside the house to the hook outside the house. She smiled to herself.

Deb and Mary headed upstairs and to bed, Azucena unplugged the Christmas tree and looked to Steve, "Mele Kalikimaka."

He looked to her and smiled, "Feliz Navidad."


	33. Chapter 33: News

**This chapter is fluff, but important. Christmas was so fun to write about and I have so many ideas. Sometimes connecting everything is a little more difficult that I think it will be. Thanks for all who continue to read. Your notes mean the world to me, so if you enjoy the story please let me know. Thanks!**

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Christmas day was spent in the comfort of everyone's pajamas, dining on leftovers, and spending the afternoon playing a marathon game of _Risk_. The battle lines had been drawn in the board game and after three hours, Azucena and Deb had admitted defeat. Azucena sat at the table and watched Steve and Mary battle for world domination. She was surprised and slightly thrilled when Mary defeated Steve after four hours.

The evening was spent sitting on the beach, watching the sun sink below the horizon. Steve was saddened that this wonderful time with his family was coming to an end, but he also was thankful for the memories they had created. Their first Christmas with their sister and it had gone smoothly. Deb and Mary flew out early the next morning and it was harder on everyone than they had imagined.

Azucena started her job at the Cheesecake Factory and learned how to prepare every cheesecake and dessert on the menu. It was very detailed work, as each cake had a specific presentation that was required. Azucena possessed the patience and steady hand for the work and when her first full day was done, she was slightly drained and exhilarated at the same time.

Once classes started, Azucena felt fully comfortable in the house and with her life in Hawaii. Staying true to the discussion she had with herself Christmas Eve, she enrolled in a ballet class at U of H. She discovered between running 8 miles a day, a full course load, working at the Cheesecake Factory and her self-imposed schedule of 2-hour dance practice each day, she was thoroughly exhausted by the end of most days. She had found her ability to sleep through the night and rarely was she awoke by a night terror. They still reared their ugly head's now and then, but most of the time, she slept like the dead.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

It had been a long day, with news Steve wasn't ready to deal with, let alone share with Azucena. On his drive home, he debated whether to say anything. She seemed to be doing so much better. He mulled over the fact that she rarely had a nightmare and she wasn't lacking for an appetite. The kid could put away food on the same level as him, and she wasn't gaining any weight. Her running regime and metabolism were in peak condition.

He sat at the stop light and ran his hands over his face. Catherine's phone call had been two-fold, part of it was great news and the other part of it was important information. He ran over the conversation in his mind. He knew he had to share the information, but was worried about her reaction. Would this send her into a tailspin or would she stay on an even keel?

As he opened the front door of the house, he caught a whiff of marinara sauce. Azucena was an incredible cook and whatever she was preparing in the kitchen was making his mouth water. He called out, "Azucena, that smells amazing!"

He placed his badge and gun on the hallway table and walked into the kitchen. She hadn't responded to him. He found her leaning on the kitchen island with her back to him, her sock covered feet were sliding on the kitchen floor in various positions with her toes pointed. He saw the cord to her earbuds and realized that she hadn't heard him. A textbook sat on the island in front of her. He took a moment to take in the scene before him. She was studying while she waited for dinner to finish cooking, her feet an indicator of how much she still desired to dance, were sliding into various positions.

He tapped her on the shoulder to let her know he was home, only to have a fist swing at his face. As a SEAL, he was prepared for most any situation, but this one surprised him. He managed to avoid contact with her fist, and saw the sheer panic on her face. The moment she realized it was Steve, relief spread through her body, "Holy Ghost Steve, you scared the crap out of me."

Azucena pulled her earbuds out and paused, her hand resting on her chest. She let her heartrate slow down to a normal pace. Steve's eyes were as wide as saucers, "Where'd you get the right hook, kiddo?"

"Did you just get home?" She countered.

"Yeah, I hollered, but you didn't answer." He responded, as he searched in the fridge for a Longboard, "What's in the oven? It smells good."

"Spinach manicotti, there's salad to go with it." She answered, as she closed her textbook and wrapped the cord around her ipod. Steve pulled the salad out of the fridge and picked out various chopped vegetables while he waited for the manicotti. "Seriously, where did you get that right hook?"

"I grew up with three boys, where do you think I got it?" she laughed, as she pulled plates out of the cabinet and walked them out to the dining room table. Steve grabbed salad dressing from the fridge and placed the salad and dressing on the table.

"How was work?" Azucena asked, as she handed him silverware.

"Eventful."

"How so?" she questioned, as the timer on the oven went off. Steve waited for her to remove the casserole pan from the oven before he answered. Part of him waited because he didn't want her to burn herself when he told her the news, but the honest part of him didn't want her to drop the pan on the floor. He was hungry, and the manicotti smelled good.

She placed the dish on the table and they both took their seats. As they served up dinner, Steve started with the good news. Well it was good news for him, "Catherine called today, she is going to be in town this weekend."

"That's nice." Answered Azucena, "When does she get into town?"

"Friday around 4."

"Perfect, I have to work until 9 and then I'll hit up the library. I have an exam next Tuesday I need to study for."

Steve looked over at his sister, "You don't have to disappear because she's in town."

He watched as she flushed red, "I don't know much about your relationship with Catherine, but I'm guessing you guys don't get to see each other very often. So, I'm thinking you probably would like to spend some _quality_ time together."

Steve wasn't going to argue; she wasn't wrong. He was very much looking forward to seeing Catherine and the physical aspect that came with her visit was always nice. "Okay, I'm not going to say no to some alone time with her, but this is your house too."

"And I have an exam I need to study for, so perfect excuse for me to go to the campus library and focus on my studies."

"You won't spend all night at the library?" he asked, it was more of a statement than a question.

"I'll be home by one at the latest." She offered up. She wanted to get up early on Saturday and get a longer run in.

"Catherine also called because there was chatter on WoFat." Said Steve, he watched Azucena as she took in the news. She had her forkful of food raised mid-air but stopped at Steve's words. Her stomach dropped.

"What kind of chatter?" she asked, as she placed her fork full of food back on her plate. Her full attention on Steve.

"It sounds as if he surfaced in Turkey to broker an arms deal."

"I'm really confused, so somehow our government knows he was in Turkey, negotiated a deal to sell or buy weapons, and they did nothing?" Steve could hear the emotion seep into her voice. "He's an international criminal, why aren't they doing anything about him?"

"I don't know the situation of how they were advised of his whereabouts." He patiently explained. "Someone working undercover for a US agency could have been in on the deal he was negotiating. In a situation of that nature, that person can't blow their cover. So they work through the deal and advise back on who was at the deal and what was agreed to."

He could see the frustration on her face, but he could also see she understood the reasoning he had provided. It didn't make her happy and it didn't fix the issue, but it was understandable. Using her fork, she moved food around on her plate, avoiding eye contact. "So we just wait until he comes back again?"

"No, I'm going to continue to research Shelbourne and see if I can figure out what it means."

"Any word from Joe on Shelbourne?" she asked, as she took a bite of food

"Unfortunately, no. He won't take my calls." Steve ate another forkful of manicotti, "I can't be certain, but I think he is in Japan."

"What makes you say that?"

"When I found the word, it was written on a map, closest to Japan. I think Joe knows more than he is willing to share."

She forked at her salad, "What can I do to help?"

Steve thought it over and looked her in the eye, "You can start sparring with me three nights a week."

"Huh?" she mumbled, as she chewed the salad.

"He came after you once, and watching your reaction in the kitchen earlier, tells me you can fight. Let's make sure the if he does come back, you can inflict some damage on him and defend yourself."

Azucena took in his words, it wasn't a terrible idea. It actually had merit. She rolled the idea around in her head, "Okay, one condition."

"What's that?"

"I get to help on researching Shelbourne too."

"Fair enough, we can start tomorrow night." He said, as they finished dinner.


	34. Chapter 34: Old Man MacAvoy

They had waited until after supper to begin the sparring session. The previous evening after dinner, Steve had rummaged through the garage and scrounged up two pairs of boxing gloves and wraps. He also pulled out some punching pads for this evenings activity.

Steve patiently taught her how to wrap her hands to protect them from the impact of a punch. She slid her wrapped hands into the boxing gloves and felt completely ridiculous. She thought back to the two run ins she had with WoFat's men, they always attacked in a group. The night they grabbed her there were three of them and when she and Steve escaped there were seven men. She wasn't certain how this was going to help, but figured it would help exhaust her even more.

Steve held up the punching pads and encouraged her to punch at each pad, moving them around to mix things up. In the beginning she felt awkward and silly, but the longer they worked on her technique the more comfortable she became. She was able to move quicker and felt surer of herself.

They had spent a good half hour working on various punching techniques, when Steve decided to take a more active approach, removing the punching pads, "What happened when his guys grabbed you in your apartment?"

Azucena used her forearm to wipe the sweat from her face, "Two were hiding in the bedroom and one was hiding in the kitchen. When I turned to close the door, he grabbed me from behind and held a rag over my face."

"So let's start with that, an attack from behind." He said, as he walked behind her. She could feel his presence behind her and she reminded herself that it was Steve. She was safe.

He talked her through what he was going to do, he didn't want to surprise her. He knew she was still healing. He was hoping these sparring sessions would make her more confident and sure of her abilities, "I'm going to wrap one arm around your waist and then place my other hand over your mouth. You are going to take your arm and elbow me in the stomach. Understand?"

"Yeah" she responded, as she nodded. She felt him crowd in on her space and then felt his arm snake around her waist, she froze. He was big; not like WoFat's men, they were small in stature. Steve was tall and she could feel his broad chest against her shoulder blades. The moment he placed his hand near her face, her heart raced, and she felt the panic rush over her body. She could smell Woods, the musky cologne. The terror of that night hit her like a Mach truck.

Her stomach dropped, her hands began to shake, and the fear overtook her body. She knew she was safe, but every nerve ending in her body said otherwise. Then instantly, Woods was gone.

He recognized the instant it all became too much for her. He felt her muscles tighten when he wrapped his arm around her waist, but the instant his hand was near her ear he felt her breathing change. He let go of her instantly and walked around to face her; she was lost in the memory of what happened. The panic in her vibrant green eyes tore at his heart, "Azucena, you're safe. Look at me kiddo. He isn't here, WoFat and his men aren't here."

"Not here, he's not here." She repeated, as she shook herself out of the panic. She pulled her hands out of her gloves and placed one of her wrapped hands on her chest, and waited for her heartrate to return to normal. She looked at Steve, the ground, and then back to Steve, frustration evident in her voice, "Sorry, I panicked."

"Don't apologize, that's a perfectly normal reaction. I should have known better." He responded. That's when they heard Azucena's cellphone ring. She walked over to the phone and looked at the screen, Evelyn Roberts. If she was calling at this hour, it wasn't good news. It was late back home, "I have to take this."

Steve nodded, and she answered, "Hi Mrs. Roberts. Is everything okay?"

"Hello Azucena, I'm sorry for calling so late." The older woman's voice carried concern.

"No worries, Mrs. Roberts. Is Tommy okay?" asked Azucena, as she walked down to the wooden chairs that sat on the shoreline. She leaned against one of them and her hand went to her necklace. She rubbed the infinity symbol while she listened to Mrs. Roberts, "Tommy is just fine dear. I am calling because something happened in town today that I think you need to know about."

"What happened?"

"I was at the diner during my lunch break when Joe Reed walked in. You remember the older gentleman that used to stop in the diner once a month?"

"Yeah, I remember him."

"Well, he stopped in today and asked about Jack. Bill Mosely told him that Jack sold the diner to him and that Jack passed a few months back." Azucena found it interesting that Joe was back in Silver Pond, pretending that he didn't know of Jack's death. Her curiosity was piqued further at Mrs. Robert's next statement. "He said he had stopped in town to see George MacAvoy but found out he had passed away as well. Not that anyone was surprised that MacAvoy passed, the man was in his eighties."

 _Jackpot!_ Old Man MacAvoy was the CIA agent that kept tabs on her for her entire childhood in Silver Pond. When she thought about it, it made complete sense. Old Man MacAvoy was the town curmudgeon, but he was always nice to Tommy, Dean, Frog, and her.

His house was right next to the school, and his property line started right at the end of the playground. They were the only kids he would allow to feed his old mare the tall grass the grew around the fence. And from time to time he would give her an apple to feed the old horse. She always assumed it was because she was the girl of the bunch, but this put everything into place. Joe was getting sloppy.

Azucena's breath caught in her throat at the next thing that came out of Mrs. Robert's mouth, "He said he had heard you got into some trouble with the law a few years back. Kind of acted like he wanted to know what happened."

"What did Mr. Mosely say?" terror gripped Azucena. The past needed to stay in the past. She was doing a decent job of keeping it there right now. She didn't need Joe to know. The minute Joe found out, Steve would find out, and then there would be the pity eyes. She had escaped the pity eyes, but that wouldn't be the case for long.

"He acted as if the incident never happened. Everyone knows that's no one's business; but Genevieve Baker had started her morning out with a few beers. Needless to say, she said something to the affect that you might have spent some time near the tavern and had a run in with the law." Supplied Mrs. Roberts.

 _Ugh, that stupid bitch thought she was funny._ Azucena had to remind herself that the woman had a drinking problem. Alcoholism was an addiction; Genevieve was sick. It still didn't make her any less angry at the woman. "What did Joe make of that?"

"He asked something like, 'oh, underage drinking?' and Bill Mosely said, 'Yeah, it was a shame. But she's right as rain now' and changed the subject to the latest sporting event."

 _Bless Bill Mosely._ Azucena knew Tommy had told his mother about Joe Reed, or she wouldn't have stayed up so late to call Azucena and tell her all of this. She wouldn't have thought anything of it. Mrs. Roberts was a good woman. "Thank you for calling me and telling me, Mrs. Roberts. I really appreciate it. I know you stayed up late to make this call."

"Oh any time dear. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of what was going on. You have a wonderful evening."

"You do the same Mrs. Roberts." And she disconnected.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve watched his sister; her body language was wrong. She leaned against the chair and played with the necklace that she rarely removed. She had started to calm down before the phone call, but now he watched as her body became more and more compact and rigid the longer she was on the phone. He watched as she looked towards the sky, almost as if she was begging God for something.

He went inside to get two bottles of water and when he returned, he could tell she was finished with her phone call. She was sitting on the arm of a chair, looking out at the water. He ambled down to the beach, making noise in the process.

He took a seat in one of the other chairs and handed her the second bottle of water, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, turns out Joe is in Silver Pond." She said, as she settled in the chair. She kept her eyes on the horizon, but she could hear the surprise in Steve's voice, "What?"

"That was Tommy's mom. Apparently, Joe was in the diner today snooping around town."

"What was he looking for?"

"Well, that's a good question. He pretended he didn't know Jack died, so that's interesting." She had a hard edge in her voice. She was angry and frustrated, Steve could hear it. "He was looking for Old Man MacAvoy, but he passed away three months ago. It all makes sense."

"What makes sense?"

"Joe is looking for something and he was going to Old Man MacAvoy for it. MacAvoy had to be the CIA agent keeping tabs on me."

"What was he looking for?" asked Steve, and then he realized what Joe was doing. He had asked Joe to find out what was in the sealed file.

"He inquired about my run in with the law."

"That might be my fault." Offered up Steve, he looked to Azucena. Her eyes never left the horizon, "Not to worry, Joe has an answer."

"I'm sorry, I should have left it alone. I asked Joe about it before you and I had our discussion." He felt genuinely sorry. He had completely forgotten about the sealed record after their discussion. He trusted her and if she wanted to keep her past in the past, he wasn't going to blame her. There were plenty of things in his past he wanted kept there.

"Don't worry, the town alcoholic was more than happy to tell him about my run in with the law near the tavern."

Underage drinking, he could see where that would turn into a sealed file for a juvenile. He could also see where she would be very touchy about something of that nature; she was very conscientious of how she presented herself. She was reserved and modest in her dress and behavior. She never acted out, so he could see where she wouldn't want anyone to know she had messed up.

"Sorry I snapped at you. I would just prefer my past stay in the past." Her voice was softer.

"Don't worry, I can understand that. There's stuff in my past I'm not proud of. Maybe one night, I'll tell you about my bad decisions."

She laughed, a genuinely happy sound, "I would enjoy that. Thanks for taking the time to teach me everything tonight. I'm going to go wash up and crash for the night." She stood up, gently squeezed his shoulder, and headed to the house.

Steve looked out over the water and thought to himself. _Joe is slipping._


	35. Chapter 35: Visitors

Steve ran his fingers along the curve of her spine, slowing down at the small of her back and then letting his hand rest on her naked rear. He loved the way her body quivered under his touch. He let his fingers draw circles along her low back and back up her spine until they found her long black hair. His fingers weaved into her hair and cupped the back of her head, he gently pulled her into a long, passionate kiss. God, he had missed her.

She shared the passion of his kiss and slowly pulled back, her breathing a little more ragged than before, "I have been thinking about this for the last week."

"You aren't alone. When you called and said you would be in town I was excited to see you, but I can't deny I wasn't looking forward to this also." He smiled, as he brushed the hair from her face.

"I wasn't certain we would be able to get away with this." Catherine said, a smile painting her face.

"Azucena was very clear she was giving us time to ourselves. I practically had to tell her she couldn't spend the night at the library."

"Well then I suggest we make the most of it." She responded, rolling over so she straddled his hips. They made passionate love for another hour until they were both exhausted and hungry for food.

They threw on clothing and eventually made their way down to the kitchen. Steve walked out to the lanai and started the grill, letting it warm up. They seasoned the asparagus and the steaks; and sat out on the lanai drinking Longboards and enjoying the breeze as their dinner cooked.

Once they were fully sated, they walked down to the beach and watched the sunset. They were perfectly content to sit there all night and listen to the waves roll in, but basic human instinct took over and before long, they were back inside enjoying each other's company. At some point in time, they fell asleep.

Steve awoke to the sound of the front door opening and the sound of the alarm system being set. He listened to the sound of the footsteps and relaxed, as he knew it was Azucena. She was trying to be quiet and she had been successful. Any other person would have slept through her arrival, but Steve was trained to hear things.

He glanced at the clock 12:55; she was a night owl. He listened to her climb the stairs, stop in the bathroom, and eventually close the door to her bedroom. At that moment, he knew he was being a protective big brother, but he felt like a parent.

He felt Catherine stir next to him. She reached out to him and softly asked, "You okay sailor?"

"I'm good."

"I can make you even better." She said, a smirk in her voice as her hands roamed over his hard body. They made silent love in the dark and it was almost better than when they could see each other. When all was said and done, they both passed out asleep.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Azucena's alarm went off at 7 the next morning. She slapped at her phone, avoiding the actual act of getting up. Nine minutes later, her alarm went off again, and she begrudgingly pulled herself out of bed. She pulled on a pair of green capri running pants, a tight purple tank top, her sneakers and grabbed a hat. As she stopped off in the bathroom to pull up her hair, she noted Steve's door was still closed from last night.

She quietly descended the stairs, exited the house, and just ran.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve lay in bed staring at the ceiling, running his hand across Catherine's shoulders, her head resting on his chest; this was heaven. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted this for them. He wanted to wake up next to her every day and spend his evenings with her every night. It wasn't just the sex; over the years she had become his best friend.

Steve heard Azucena's door open and listened as she quietly made her way through the upstairs. He heard her descend the stairs, disable the alarm system, and exit the house. She was off for her morning run.

A short while later, he felt Catherine slide her hand across his stomach and then down. His body shuddered in surprise and anticipation. The morning was off to a great start.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Eventually when they emerged from his room half an hour later, they started making breakfast. As Steve manned the stove with the scrambled eggs and sausage, the doorbell rang. Catherine took over and Steve answered the door to find Joe White standing on his front porch.

"Joe?" Steve asked, genuine surprise in his voice.

"Morning son, do you have a few minutes? I have some news about Shelbourne." Joe was very matter of fact.

"Yeah, come on in." answered Steve, as he held the door open for Joe. Joe walked into the house and smelled breakfast cooking. "Azcuena cooking breakfast?"

"No, Catherine is here." Answered Steve, as he closed the door and walked to the kitchen. Joe following behind, "You want some breakfast?"

"No thanks son, I've already had breakfast. I didn't mean to interrupt your morning. I can come back."

"Don't be silly." Answered Catherine, she smiled at Joe as he entered the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Steve asked.

"I went over to Japan to do some further research on Shelbourne. I have something to show you." Joe fished in his pocket for his cell phone and pulled up a video. He handed it to Steve and motioned for Steve to push the play button. When the video on the screen came to life, Steve saw Hiro Noshimuri stuffed into the trunk of a car with a gun pointed at him, his hands tied in front of him. The voice over on the video was Joe's, "Tell me about Shelbourne."

"I don't know anything by that name." the man confessed, fear spread across his features.

"Don't lie to me Hiro! You were the head of the Yakuza; the most powerful person in Hawaii. Kogi worked for WoFat, so you must know. Tell me about Shelbourne."

"I can't talk about Shelbourne. WoFat will kill me." Hiro pleaded.

"If you don't tell me about Shelbourne; I'm going to kill you." Responded Joe.

"Shelbourne is a person." Hiro answered, it was easy to see that Hiro was legitimately concerned for his life.

"I want a name!" screamed Joe.

"I don't know who he is; all I know is WoFat fears Shelbourne and WoFat fears no one. He isn't going to quit searching for Shelbourne until Shelbourne is dead."

The video cut out, and Steve was shocked. He wasn't even certain where to start, "Joe, where did you get this video?"

"I paid Hiro Noshimuri a visit in Japan."

"I thought Hiro Noshimuri was in Halawa prison." Answered Steve, logically and wearily.

"No, he got a good lawyer that extradited him to Japan."

"And you decided it was a good idea to kidnap Hiro, hold him at gunpoint, and interrogate him?"

"I incentivized him."

"You kidnapped him and threatened his life, Joe!" exclaimed Steve, fully blown away by the old man's audacity. He had kidnapped the head of the Yakuza. It was a miracle Joe was still alive. "How are you not dead?"

"Oh Hiro and I are good now."

"What?" bellowed Steve.

"I can't talk about that." Joe answered, as if this were a reasonable answer. He continued, "I don't know exactly who Shelbourne is, but I know it's a person. Apparently, it's the same person who killed WoFat's father."

"How do you know that?"

"Hiro."

Catherine had been listening to the two men interact while she finished cooking breakfast. She placed all the hot food in the oven to keep it warm. She pulled the bread from the fridge and set the toaster on the counter. She waited and watched the two men further.

"So what's your next step?" questioned Steve. He was sure it was completely insane.

"I'm going back to Japan, I have more research to do on Shelbourne."

"I should be going with you, I can help." Steve responded. He heard the front door open and close, Azucena was back.

"No son, it's too dangerous."

"Precisely why I should go with you. After what you did to Hiro you can't go alone. That's a fool's mission." Exclaimed Steve.

Joe reflected, "Son, do you remember the day your father told you he was sending you away?"

"Like it was yesterday." Steve answered softly.

"I made a promise to your father that I would take care of you and your sister, and that's a promise I intend to keep. I already failed to keep that promise more than once. This is too dangerous. I have to go back to Japan alone."

"We have a right to know who Shelbourne is." Responded Steve.

"And when I find out the truth about Shelbourne, I'll tell you."

"Your track record with the truth isn't stellar Joe." Offered Azucena, standing in the kitchen doorway, her arms crossed. Joe and Steve were surprised by her words and presence. Steve had forgotten he had heard her walk in the house.

"I did what I had to do to protect you three kids. Just like I'm doing in this instance. I'm doing this to protect the three of you." Answered Joe, anger apparent in is voice.

"Protect us? You call lying to us for years protecting us?" she questioned, fire in her eyes.

"It was for your own good."

"It was for their own good that Steve and Mary were told their mother died, when she was really alive? It was for my own good that I never met my father or knew that I had an entire family that existed? It was for my own good that WoFat kidnapped me and tortured me?" she paused, sarcasm lacing her next words, "Well, I guess it was for my own good that I was kidnapped and tortured by WoFat because if that hadn't happened, I never would have found my real family! Let Steve go with you and help you find Shelbourne. It will put an end to all of this."

"What do you think WoFat is going to do the minute Steve leaves this island?" questioned Joe, all emotion gone. Steve knew what Joe was driving at. He had been so wrapped up in wanting to find Shelbourne, that he missed the obvious and he spoke up, "He's going to come back after Azucena. He thinks I know more than I do and he will use her to get the information from me."

"Exactly." Snapped Joe, "That is why I have to do this alone."

Azucena looked at Steve. She could see it was frustrating him not to be able to pick up and go. He wanted to help find the man that was turning their lives upside down. She was the one that was keeping him here, and she just now recognized it.

"I'm sorry I spoiled your morning. I'm heading out now, but I wanted to let you know what I found out before I hit the road again." Joe said, looking at Steve. "Look after each other and I'll check in with you when I find something."

Joe turned to exit the kitchen, he stopped at Azucena and reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. She flinched at his touch, "I'm sorry for lying to you all these years. You are John's daughter and the promise I made to him applies to you as well. You may not like what I've done over the years, but I really did do it with your best interests at heart."

"Be safe." Was all she could offer. She was angry at the lies, but it was starting to make sense. Joe walked towards the door, as he reached for the door handle, Azucena spoke up. It was the only olive branch she could offer now, "George MacAvoy was a good man. I'm sorry that we lost him."

Joe turned to look at her, a sad smile graced his face, "Me too darlin', me too."


	36. Chapter 36: Sibling Bonding

As the door closed, Steve look at Azucena. He could see the anger and frustration, but there was something else. He couldn't put his finger on it. "You want breakfast? We made eggs, sausage and toast."

"Thanks, but I'm not really hungry right now." She smiled at him. She looked to Catherine, "Good to see you Catherine, I hope you had a good flight out."

"Good to see you as well, and it was nice. Thanks for asking." Offered Catherine, she liked Steve's sister. She didn't know her very well, but the way Steve talked about her made her recognize she was a good kid. When she thought about the age difference between Steve and Azucena, it really made her think Azucena was still a kid.

"I'm going to get cleaned up. Enjoy your breakfast." Azucena smiled at them and hustled up the stairs. She was dirty, stinky, and angry. At that moment, all she wanted was a shower.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve watched his sister take the stairs two at a time; something was off. He thought it was the conversation with Joe, but he wasn't completely certain. She had been a little off most of the week. He looked down at the woman he loved, she was placing bread in the toaster, "Sorry about that."

"There's nothing to apologize about; Joe decided to stop by, drop a bombshell, and then quickly leave. It seems to be his M.O. anymore. Are you surprised?"

"By his behavior, no. I am surprised by the fact that he took the head of the Yakuza by gunpoint and interrogated him. And now they are on good terms. Something doesn't add up."

"It's Joe, when does anything ever add up?" questioned Catherine.

"Point taken." Steve said, as he stood behind her at the kitchen counter and wrapped his arms around her waist. He bent down and nuzzled her neck, as she giggled and swatted at him. The popping of the toast startled them out of their playful behavior.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Azucena pulled her hair up into two high pigtails and then wrapped them into buns, one on each side of her head. When she was finished she sat down on her bed and pulled out her cellphone, she searched her contacts and selected Tommy:

 _Is it wrong that I wish we could just go back before everything changed? Don't get me wrong, super happy I found my family, but I miss when our biggest concern was an exam or if we all had Saturday night off work. Miss you, tell Frog hi for me. :-)_

She hit send; she missed Frog and Tommy terribly. It wasn't that she was homesick, per se. She missed Silver Pond, but Jack and Clara weren't there anymore. She missed the family she had known for most of her life. She missed the joking and teasing banter of her buddies.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve stood at the kitchen sink, hand washing dishes when he heard Azucena's footfalls on the stairs. He knew it was her because he could hear the shower in his room running. As she walked into the kitchen, he looked over to her and smiled to himself. She was always doing something different with her hair and this was a look he hadn't seen.

"Hungry yet?"

"Not really."

"What are you going to do today?" he quizzed her.

"I'm not certain. I might go sit by the water and read, but I'm all sorts of antsy, so that doesn't seem like the ideal activity at the moment." She said, as she pulled a banana from the bunch and started peeling it. She tore off a chunk and popped it into her mouth.

"Is it Joe that has you flustered?"

"Yes and no," she leaned against the counter, she was only partially certain. She began to ramble, and Steve truly listened "If I wasn't here, you could go with Joe after Shelbourne. But then I think to myself, how am I the only one in danger? This isn't meant to be disrespectful when I say it, but what about Mary? She isn't on the island, it's not like she's exactly safe from harm. WoFat grabbed me back home and LA is a five-hour plane ride from here. I can't see that she is safe. I worry about her and I don't completely understand Joe's logic."

Steve dried his hand on a dish towel, she wasn't wrong. He worried about Mary too. However, he had an opinion on why WoFat would focus on Azucena and not Mary. "First of all, I want you here. You are family, you are important to me, and I am happy that you came into our lives."

Azucena flushed red, as she did when attention was focused on her. She mumbled a thank you, as she pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge. When she had finished fidgeting, Steve motion to the stool at the island, "Sit down."

As she pulled up one of the bar stools, Steve shared his thoughts, "I don't agree with Joe's decisions and I definitely am questioning his tactics right now, but he isn't wrong."

"How so?" she asked, looking at him with genuine curiosity in her eyes. Steve threw the dishtowel over his shoulder, leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Mary's job is very public. She is constantly surrounded by people, whether she is working on a plane or walking to a hotel, she is always with someone. She doesn't live by herself; she has two roommates. It would be difficult for WoFat to come after Mary without witnesses.

"You on the other hand, the people who raised you are gone. Your friends are on the other side of the world. If you weren't living with me, you would be an easy target for WoFat. He could come after you again and use you against me to find out more about Shelbourne."

"When WoFat found out about you, he realized he had the ultimate card to play against our family. You were the sister we never knew we had; in a sense, that makes you a novelty.

"You were easy to kidnap, and now he was introducing an outsider. He knew that I would do anything I could to protect you, sister or not. No innocent civilian should ever be tortured. What he did to you was horrific.

"His mission in that bunker was two-fold. The first part was to get information on Shelbourne but the second part, was to determine how valuable of an asset you are. He doesn't need Mary to get to me."

"This is disturbing and not normal. You do recognize that, right?" she offered, troubled at his insight.

"Unfortunately, it's a part of combat. WoFat is a masterful manipulator and he will wage war in the physical and psychological sense." Shared Steve, as he sat down on the barstool next to her. "I don't tell you this to try and frighten you, I just want you to understand. Joe isn't wrong."

"You want to go, but I'm stopping you. That isn't fair to you." She stated, matter-of-factly.

"Life isn't fair, you of all people should know that." He answered, patiently. "Besides, I'm needed here by Five-0 and you. And if we are being honest, I need to be here."

"Why?" she asked, softly.

"My life is here now. Don't get me wrong, I want to find out the truth about Shelbourne and I want WoFat out of our lives, but I'm building my life here. I have never stayed this long anywhere in my adult life and I'm starting to put down roots." He said, his voice softer than she was used to.

"It scares you." She observed, she had known he was nomadic before coming back, but he was admitting it now.

"Kind of, some parts more than others." He lifted his head towards the upstairs, "She's become more important to me over the last year or two. I want her in my life, and not just when she's on leave. Had you asked me three to five years ago if I would ever say that, I would have said no."

"That's not a bad thing."

"No, it definitely isn't." he took a deep breath, "So for now, I'm going to let Joe go back to Japan and see if he can find out anything further about Shelbourne. I will stay here and continue to monitor the WoFat situation and see what I can find on Shelbourne. We are going to get this figured out and keep each other safe in the process."

"One last question." She said, looking at the kitchen island, her hands spinning a butter knife that had been left out on the counter, "How can you be so calm about everything and trust that Joe is going to tell you the truth?"

"I don't trust Joe and I highly doubt everything he told me today was the truth. He frustrates me more than you will ever know, but I learned a long time ago not to give anyone power over me. If he knows he irks me, it gives him power; so I try to stay calm in front of him."

"Are you always successful?"

"Maybe only half the time." He answered with a slight laugh in his voice. He gently placed his hand on top of hers, the butter knife ceased its spinning, "What's eating at you? Somethings been bothering you for most of the week."

"It's the lies. I'm so angry about all the lies and I feel this anger just eating away at my insides." She paused, "I think I had all that time to focus on healing, and then Deb and Mary came out, so I was distracted. Now all I can think about is how he knew about everything and didn't deem it important enough to tell us. Or it was 'for your own good.' God, I absolutely hate the phrase, it's like equating eating your vegetables with lying to us our entire life."

"Mrs. Robert's phone call set it off?" he asked, trying to keep a straight face. He loved the analogy of eating your vegetables. He found her terribly funny at the most inappropriate times.

"When she told me he pretended not to know about Jack's death, that's when it really hit me. I don't think he has ever been honest with me." She paused, she looked away from him and whispered, "I miss Jack."

Steve wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side, careful not to pull her off the barstool. She wrapped her arms around his torso. He was a 30-year-old man when he lost his dad; she was 18 when she lost her third parent. He had witnessed her survive so much that he forgot how young she was and all that she lost. She had had the childhood he never had, but it cost her a great deal.

"I know how you feel kiddo." He kissed the top of her head and just hugged her for a minute.

He felt her getting antsy and loosened his grip. She extracted herself from his arms, stood up and opened the cabinet for the toaster. He wasn't surprised by how she abruptly changed emotions. He had witnessed her shut her emotions off regularly over the last few months.

"Catherine and I are thinking about spending the rest of this morning hiking out to Likeke Falls, having lunch there and relaxing in the waterfall. You want to join us? It's about 4 miles to the falls and back."

She slid two slices of bread in the toaster and looked up to him, her voice back to normal, "Thanks for the invite, but I don't want to interrupt your time with Catherine. You guys don't get to see each other very often."

"She actually would like to get to know you and it was her idea to hike out there and invite you. I just got around to asking you before she did." He answered, smiling as he thought about the genuine care on his girlfriend's face when she broached the topic with him.

"This won't be third wheel territory, will it?" she asked, wearily eyeing her brother.

"Absolutely not." He smiled, her mannerisms making him laugh internally.

"When are you thinking about leaving and will I get eaten by bugs?"

"After I get changed, we will make a lunch to take and head out that way. As for bugs, probably not, but you will need sunscreen and you'll want to wear your swim clothes under your hiking clothes."

"All right, I'm in."

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 **For those of you that continue to read this story, thank you. I don't always know where the next chapter will lead and this is already far longer than I ever anticipated it being. For those that leave encouraging words/notes, THANK YOU! They mean the world to me and make me want to write more.**


	37. Chapter 37: Getting To Know You

The three of them packed a lunch, loaded up in the truck and drove down the highway towards the hiking trail that would lead to Likeke Falls. Music filled the cab of the truck, but Catherine turned it down, "Azucena, Steve tells me you are studying to be a nurse."

"Yeah." She responded from the backseat of the pickup.

"What type of nursing would you want to specialize in?"

"Pediatrics, with a focus on oncology."

"Wow, that's some pretty heavy stuff." Exclaimed Catherine, the kid had more strength than she did. She couldn't imagine being surrounded by kids all day, let alone sick kids. Steve was equally as surprised, they hadn't really talked about this.

"Someone's gotta do it." Azucena responded, "What about you, did you always want to go into the Navy?"

"My dad was in the Army, so we moved around a bunch when I was a kid. I didn't really have a hometown. The military just seemed like a logical step. Although, I had to be a little rebellious and applied to the Navy."

"How long have you been in?"

"It will be fourteen years in June." Catherine said, smiling as she thought about it.

"That's quite a commitment." Observed Azucena.

"Yeah, with six more years I can retire with full military benefits. I don't know what I'll do after that." Azucena thought to herself, Steve probably wasn't really thrilled to hear six more years of her coming and going out of his life, but that was none of her business.

"If you could do anything, training, costs, education weren't required, what would it be?" Azucena quizzed her. She hated small talk, but this was the only way to get to know her brother's girlfriend. She seemed like a very nice woman, so it really wasn't too painful. It just felt so awkward to Azucena.

"Hmmm . . . I would like to try my hand at one of those fishing boats up in Alaska." Offered Catherine. Steve looked over at his girlfriend, this was news to him. However, they never talked about 'what ifs.'

"Really?" questioned Steve, looking at her with surprise in his face.

"Oh yeah, I think it would be thrilling." Catherine responded, her face completely serious.

"I never would have guessed that." Said Steve.

"I'm a woman of many surprises."

"Don't I know it." He responded, as he affectionately squeezed her hand.

"What about you?" Catherine asked Azucena. Azucena didn't have to think at all, she knew the answer. She and the guys had played this game their entire lives. Dean always picked astronaut, Tommy would inevitably say he wanted to be an inventor – but of what he wasn't certain, and Frog surprised everyone with an actor in a Broadway play.

"Professional traveler."

"Where is the first place you would go?" asked Steve, getting into the game.

"I would go to Maine during the fall foliage and then I would visit the Wonders of the World starting with Latin and South America first: Chichen Itza, Lake Titicaca, Machu Pichu, Panama Canal, and Christ the Redeemer." She answered, listing them off on her fingers.

"You've put a lot of thought into this." Offered Catherine.

"What about you, Steve?" Azucena asked, as she nodded to Catherine's statement.

"Racecar driver." He grinned, and Catherine countered, "Just what you need, to be behind the wheel of a car that purposefully goes extremely fast."

"It would be awesome!" exclaimed Steve. The ladies both laughed at his enthusiasm. Steve ended their laughing with the next question, "If you could have any super power in the world, what would it be?"

"Easy, the ability to fly." Answered Catherine.

"Time travel." Offered Azucena.

"Invisibility." Steve added.

"My turn," stated Catherine, "Um, you can have dinner with one historical person, past or present, who would it be?"

"That one is tough" Offered Steve, "but I'm going to say Winston Churchill. I would want to hear his through process on how he helped end World War II."

"That sounds like a heavy dinner conversation." Observed Azucena.

"Azucena, who would you eat dinner with?" questioned Catherine.

"I'm still thinking, you go first."

"I going with Marilyn Monroe."

"Why her?" questioned Steve.

"I love her old movies; I think it would be fun to hear about her thoughts on everything from those days."

"I didn't know you were a fan of her work."

"Maybe some time I'll introduce you to _Gentlemen Prefer Blondes_ , but you can't dump me for one."

"Deal." Laughed Steve, and then he looked in the rearview mirror to his sister, "Who would you have dinner with?"

"Nelson Mandela," she stated, "I've always found him fascinating and how do you serve 27 years in prison and not be bitter? I think it would be interesting conversation. Although, if he is busy, I reserve the right to dine with Kurt Cobain."

"Nirvana fan, huh?" asked Catherine.

"Yeah, I like them."

"I saw them play in Denver in '93." Stated Catherine.

"No way, now that would have been _awesome._ " Mocking Steve's use of the word earlier. Everyone laughed as they pulled off the side of the road, near the entrance to the hiking path. There were a few other cars in the area.

The three continued to chat as they walked the two miles to Likeke Falls. Steve was surprised by how much he was learning about Catherine. He knew her like and dislikes, and what drove her, but they never really let their imaginations wander and talk about silly stuff like they were today. He truly enjoyed seeing this side of her.

When they finally reached the falls, there were small groups of people spread out in various patches of shade, lounging in the pool under the falls, and of course there were the dare devils that jumped from one of the upper ledges off the falls. The three of them found a spot to put their stuff in the shade and started peeling off their hiking clothes. Once they were ready to get in the water, Steve looked to them, "Either of you want to jump off the cliffs?"

"No thanks." Said Catherine.

"Pass, thanks though." Answered Azucena, but she could see the little boy in Steve. He was so excited to jump off the cliff and he was willing to share this opportunity with them. Her heart smiled, she was so thankful he was in her life and after the car ride, she was thankful for Catherine. She was genuinely trying to make things comfortable for Azucena.

"Go have fun sailor, but be safe." Catherine said, as she leaned over and kissed him. She pulled back and he was off, climbing to the jumping cliff. Catherine watched him and then started walking towards the pool that was furthest away from the jumping cliff, Azucena followed, "Is he an adrenaline junkie?"

"Depends on who you ask." Catherine answered, "Danny will tell you yes, but I say he is only when it's necessary. However, most guys I know would love to jump off these cliffs. I think it's all that testosterone."

Azucena chuckled, "Yeah, the guys I grew up with would be thrilled to jump off those cliffs."

"Steve says they are in Japan, on a Marine base." Catherine stated, trying to make conversation as they waded into the chilly water.

"They are at Camp Lester in Okinawa, but I honestly couldn't tell you what they do."

"Maybe they can come over to the island sometime on one of their R&R breaks."

"Perhaps." Azucena responded, she hadn't even thought of that; but she was definitely open to the idea. They found rocks in the water to sit on, while they watched the dare devils jump from the cliff. After Steve jumped, he swam over to where they were, and they spent the afternoon talking and relaxing.

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When they arrived home, everyone went their own ways to get cleaned up. Azucena showered and did her hair up in a French braid. She threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt. She checked her phone, there was a text from Tommy:

 _I miss the nights spent out in the pasture in our sleeping bags on a tarp. Cooking hot dogs over the campfire and staring at the stars all night. Those nights are some of my best memories. I miss you Red._

 _Valentine's Day is coming up. You going to be okay this year? You know you can call me if you need to, Frog as well._

 _Love you!_

She had been trying to ignore the fact that the holiday was quickly approaching. It was two weeks away, but it came every year, whether she wanted it to or not. Tommy was already worried; he knew her too well. She texted him back:

 _Those were some of the best nights. I love how the fireflies lit up the fields and you could see every star in the sky. It was always so serene and beautiful out there._

 _As for Valentine's day, I'll be fine. It's been almost three years, he's still in jail, and I'm an ocean away. Don't worry about me. Love and miss you too!_

She had checked the movie listings earlier in the week, she wanted to give Steve and Catherine a night to themselves. There was a film she had been wanting to see, so she had saved it for tonight. At this point, she had enough time to ride her bike over to Kamekona's for dinner and then up to the movie theater. That should give Steve and Catherine at least four hours to themselves.

As she headed towards the stairs, she noted Steve's bedroom door was still closed, good for them. She descended the stairs and left a note on the kitchen counter:

 _Steve and Catherine,  
Went to grab a bite at Kamekona's and then see a movie. Should be home around 10:30. I'll have my phone on me. Thanks for today, it was fun. _

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Steve and Catherine had spent more than three minutes in the shower and had tried to be quiet. When they were finally clean enough, they threw on some sweats and headed for the kitchen. They were ravenous after spending the day hiking and playing in the water.

They walked into the kitchen and Steve saw the note first, "That little devil."

Catherine had read the note over his shoulder, "That's sweet of her. She really wants you to have your space."

"Well, since we have space?" he began, as he turned and wrapped his arms around her.

"Slow down there Sailor, I need to eat something." Laughed Catherine, as she returned his embrace and kissed him.


	38. Chapter 38: It Takes a Village

**To all those that continue to read, thank you. I love the old television show,** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **. For those of you that are familiar with it, see if you can find the reference. Everyone else, just enjoy. Thanks for reading, Avy73**

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Catherine's leave had come to an end three days earlier. Steve had enjoyed every moment with her. He was also happy to see a friendship develop between Catherine and Azucena. It had been much harder to say goodbye this time than in the past.

The day after she had left, he felt miserable. He wanted her in his life on a regular basis and the next time she was in town for leave, he was going to do something about it. In the near future he would start shopping for rings. It was time, he felt it in his bones.

The only thing that clawed at the back of his mind was the fact that she had mentioned six more years until she could retire. Would she give up the military for a life with him? She had done her time and it would be a shame to throw away all the work. That was a bridge they would have to cross in the future. He thought about Pearl, she might be able to get a transfer.

His thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the front door, "What is that smell?"

"Good or bad?" he hollered back to the voice of his sister, as he flipped the pages in the _Guns and Ammo_ magazine he had be perusing.

"Amazing!" she answered, as she walked into the kitchen, her work clothes covered in flour and her backpack still clinging to her shoulders.

"Chicken enchiladas. I didn't think you were getting off this early, so I ate without you."

"No worries, I was done earlier than I expected." She walked into the study and shrugged her backpack off her shoulders. She unbuttoned her chef's jacket and threw it in the laundry room, leaving her in her chef pants and undershirt. Her hair was tied back in French braid pig tails.

She sauntered back into the kitchen and pulled a plate from the cupboards. As she served up some enchiladas, she quizzed her brother, "How was work?"

"We closed the case we were working on. Now we are back to cold cases."

"I can tell by your tone of voice you are just thrilled about those. Who was guilty in the case you closed out today?"

"The assistant to the travel agent. He was in love with her and he didn't want her to continue to moonlight as a hooker, so he's the one that killed the John."

"Love makes you do the wacky." She responded, taking a bite as she leaned against the kitchen sink.

Steve looked up at her, debating whether to say anything. He chuckled to himself, she had flour in one of her braids, he doubted she saw it. "What? Why are you laughing?"

He pointed to the right side of her face, "You have flour in your hair."

She looked down and saw the dusting. She made a slightly disgruntled noise. He laughed at her, "Speaking of love doing the wacky."

Azucena looked at him between bites, "Yeah?"

"Don't over react when I say this."

"I would like to think I'm the more laid back between the two of us, but go on." She encouraged, humor laced her voice.

"I'm thinking about asking Catherine to marry me the next time she's on leave."

"Wow." She put her plate down on the island in front of her, food still on it.

"Don't say anything to anyone. I just thought I would let you know where my thoughts are going. I mean, if we were to get married, we would live here and you live here to, and I'm not wanting you to leave." He was rambling, he wasn't certain where he was going with this.

"Steve, take a breath man." she looked at him, his face was almost panicked, "That's awesome news. I'm thrilled for you and I won't say anything to anyone."

She could see the relief rush through his body, a grin graced her face. She was happy for him. If he wanted to spend his life with Catherine, it was the right answer.

His phone rang, as she was preparing to say something more. He answered, "Yes Governor?"

Azucena only heard Steve's side of the conversation, but it didn't sound positive. At the end of the call, he looked at her, "Explosion in a bank downtown."

"It's after hours." She answered, as he pulled up Danny's number.

"Yeah, so that says it's a definite heist because there was a car spotted leaving the bank." His attention shifted from her to the person on the other end of the phone, "Danno, we got a case. Call Chin and have him and Kono meet us at the First National Bank of Honolulu."

Azucena continued to eat her dinner, "Gracie's asleep? . . . . It's early man. . . . oh she isn't feeling good?"

Azucena looked up to Steve, "If he doesn't want to wake her, I can go over and keep an eye on her while you guys work."

"Azucena can come over and watch her." Steve nodded to his sister.

She took two more bites of dinner and ran up the stairs to her room. She threw a shirt on that covered more than her undershirt and a pair of yoga pants. Sliding her feet into her flipflops, she ran back downstairs. Steve had his badge and gun clipped to his belt, "Ready?"

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They stood on Danny's front porch and Steve quietly knocked. He didn't want to wake up Grace if she was sleeping. Danny opened the door and let them both in, "Thanks for doing this, you're a lifesaver."

"No worries." She replied.

"She should sleep the rest of the night, I gave her some children's Tylenol about two hours ago. I don't think she has a fever, just a little bug. If she wakes up, you could give her more Tylenol in about two hours."

"Will do." Azucena nodded, she could see he was flustered and worried. He hugged her, "Thanks again."

The two headed out the door and she locked it behind them. Azucena curled up on the sofa and flipped through the channels on the television. She settled on an old movie on TMC, _Yours, Mine, and Ours._

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The sun was peeking through the blinds and Azucena awoke to the shuffle of little feet. Grace was standing in the living room, looking at her, "Auntie Cena?"

"Hey Grace, how are you feeling?"

"I feel okay. Where's my dad?"

"Him and Uncle Steve had to go to work last night, so I thought I would come over and hang out with you. Is that okay?"

"That is so cool!" the little girl grinned from ear to ear. It made Azucena's heart happy. She glanced at the clock on the wall, 5:00. Those guys were still working. They were going to be exhausted.

"Auntie Cena?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm hungry."

"Super hungry or just kind of hungry?" questioned Azucena, wondering if the little girl truly was feeling better.

"Super hungry."

"How about I make crepes for breakfast?"

"What are crepes?" asked the little girl, genuine curiosity painted her face.

"They are like really thin pancakes rolled up with fruit in them. I saw there are some strawberries in the fridge and bananas on the counter. We could make strawberry and banana crepes."

"Oh, that sounds so yummy. Can I help?"

"Of course you can help me." They wandered into the kitchen. Azucena tied a tea towel around the little girl and she donned Danny's apron. They mixed up all the ingredients for the batter and were in the middle of stirring everything when Steve and Danny walked in the front door.

They looked exhausted, but Danny didn't let that stop him. The instant he saw them, he was in full parent mode, "Monkey, how you feeling?"

"I feel much better Danno." She answered, as he kissed the top of her head and then held his hands to her cheeks, checking for a fever. The little girl continued to talk through all of this, "We are making crepes for breakfast, with bananas and strawberries."

"Banana and strawberry crepes, that sounds super yummy." Responded Danny. He then looked to Azucena, "You didn't have to do that, a bowl of cereal would be just fine."

"Sit down," she directed him and Steve, "You both could use some food."

"I'm definitely not complaining about that." Answered a weary Steve. He sat down on a barstool at Danny's kitchen island and watched his sister teach Grace how to make crepes. Her patience with the little girl was amazing. He could see the joy the little girl brought to his sister's face and that's when he realized, she would be an amazing pediatric nurse. She knew her calling.

Grace decided Danno and Uncle Steve needed to eat breakfast first because they looked really tired. They received the first few crepes, but then Grace was ready to have her first bite and she was thrilled, "Danno, these are better than your pancakes!"

"I'm going to have to agree with you Monkey, these are way better than my pancakes." He looked to Azucena as he said it.

"I bet Danno's pancakes are wonderful." Replied Azucena, her cheeks flushing from the compliment.

"He puts chocolate chips in them." Explained Grace.

"Oh, that sounds yummy. I grew up putting peanut butter on my pancakes."

"Peanut butter?" questioned a perplexed Grace.

"Yeah, crunchy was always my favorite." Answered Azucena. This caught Steve's attention, their mom would make peanut butter pancakes occasionally when him and Mary were kids. He was curious, "Was that something mom did or the Pressgroves?"

"Mom did it, but then when the Pressgroves made pancakes, I _always_ did it." She paused in between bites of crepes, "Did she make them for you and Mary?"

"Yeah, every once in a while we would have pancakes for breakfast and she would pull out the peanut butter. She didn't make pancakes very often when we were growing up."

"That was Sunday morning breakfast in our house, pancakes and bacon." Remembered Azucena, "It wasn't exactly healthy, but she loved pancakes. At least, that's what I remember."

Steve reflected as he finished his breakfast, he couldn't ever recall his dad eating pancakes. It must have been his dad that didn't like them.

Azucena looked at Steve and Danny, they were both dead on their feet. It was a Saturday and she didn't have class or work today. She thought it might be easiest to just watch Grace for the day, which would allow Danny to get some shut eye. "Danny, you look dead on your feet. You want me to watch Grace for the day, so you can get some rest?"

"Are you serious?" he asked, relief in his voice.

"Well, you guys worked all night. I figure Grace and I could hang out at the house and swim or something. You and Steve both look like the walking dead."

"Monkey, would you be okay hanging out with Azucena today?"

"Heck yeah Danno. We can swim, and Auntie Cena can help me decorate my Valentine's Day box for school on Monday." The little girl was so excited, "Did you make Valentine's Day boxes in school Auntie Cena?"

"Yes, we made boxes. What is your box going to be?" she asked the little girl, ignoring the fact that she absolutely loathed this holiday. She didn't want to ruin something exciting for the little girl.

"It's going to be a hot air balloon. We made the paper Mache balloon part, now all I have to do it glue the tissue paper to the balloon. It's going to be a pink, red, and purple balloon."

"That sounds amazing. I would love to help." Answered Azucena, with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. She stood up to clean up the kitchen, but Danny placed a hand on her arm, "You watched my kid overnight and you are spending the day with her. Don't you dare worry about my kitchen. I'll clean this up later."

"You sure?" she questioned.

"Yes, I'm sure. Let me get a bag packed for Grace and then you might consider driving your Neanderthal of a brother home. I think I caught him falling asleep in between bites of your amazing breakfast." He disappeared out of the kitchen with Grace in tow.

Steve was fighting hard to stay awake, "I hope you're okay with this. We'll stay outside, or be really quiet inside, so you can get some sleep."

"This is no problem at all. I'm so tired a herd of elephants could run through the house and I probably wouldn't wake up." He answered, as he dug his keys out of his pocket and handed them over to Azucena.

Danny reappeared in the kitchen with Grace and a bag in tow. He handed the bag to Azucena, "Her swimsuit, towel and sunscreen are in there. Also, all the art supplies needed to work on this Valentine's box. You are an absolute saint. Thank you for everything."

He pulled Azucena in for a hug and she acquiesced with his actions. She forgot how physical Danny was with his emotions. It wasn't a bad thing, it just wasn't something she was used to. Maybe it was because she had built walls up over the past couple years, but Danny slowly tore them down each and every time she was around him. It was nice, once she got past the initial shock.

Steve, Azucena, and Grace all piled in the truck and headed for home. Steve stumbled up the stairs and collapsed into bed. Azucena and Grace spent the morning enjoying the ocean. Their afternoon consisted of eating lunch and watching _Finding Nemo_ while they decorated the Valentine's Day box. Steve and Danny both appeared mid-afternoon, followed shortly thereafter by the arrival of Chin, Malia, and Kono. The group spent the evening grilling out and relaxing.


	39. Chapter 39: Cracks In Your Armor

**Trigger warning on this chapter. Please be forewarned. This chapter could be considered controversial, so if it offends you, I apologize.**

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 _She locked the backdoor of the diner after James exited. As she walked through the kitchen, she flipped the light switches off as she had done every other night. She entered the front of the diner and turned off the light over the soda fountain and then she walked to the front door. She pulled her keys out, flipped off the final light switch, opened the door, and locked it. She turned right and headed towards home._

 _It was cold, the snowflakes were thick and heavy. She zipped up the front of her sweatshirt and pulled her stocking cap lower to cover her ears. The night was still and quiet, the only thing that could be heard was the beat of the music coming from the tavern. It was three buildings away and she could hear Garth Brooks blaring from the jukebox._

 _She tried to walk quickly, but the sidewalks hadn't been shoveled, so it was more difficult than normal. As she passed the hardware store Garth's voice became louder. Suddenly she was being pulled back into the alley between the tavern and the hardware store, an arm was cinched around her waist and a hand clamped over her mouth. She could smell the musky scent, her heart raced, and she clawed at the hands as they continued to tighten around her. She tried to yell, but the hand covering her mouth was so tight. Then she heard a whisper, "Don't make a sound, or I will kill you."_

 _She landed on the ground, her head smacking the wheel on the trash bin. She was dazed, but saw the man towering over her. In this instant, she opened her mouth and screamed. She screamed because she knew it was going to happen again and this time, she wasn't going to let it._

" _NO, NO, NO, HELP ME!" She screamed, as she scrambled away from the man towering over her. He stepped on her hand, his boots grinding into her fingers, she could feel the bones crunching. She continued to scream, and he finally opened his mouth, "No one can hear you my dear. So scream all you want, it will only make it better for me."_

" _NO, NO, NO, HELP ME! AYUDAME!"_

Steve flipped the light switch to her room and was at her bedside in a second. After all the nightmares they had endured, he had never heard her scream like this. The sheer terror and volume of her cries tore through the house and jerked him from sleep. Steve had initially thought someone had broken in, but with the lights on, he could see it was a night terror.

"Azucena, wake up! Wake up kiddo, it's only a dream." He said, hoping his voice would pull her from the nightmare. She continued to scream for help, tears pouring down both cheeks. Steve placed one hand on her shoulder and the other on her cheek, "Wake up for me 'Cena. Come on kiddo, it's just a dream. He isn't here."

He was starting to panic, it had never taken him this long to wake her before, but he had never seen her this terrified before. Suddenly her arms were striking out and clawing at his person. He was quick enough to withdrawal from her reach. She kept screaming no as she continued to scratch at thin air. In an instant, she realized she was in her room and Steve was standing five feet from her bed.

Steve took in the fact that she was alert to the room, but her breathing was out of control. She was hyperventilating. When he ascertained he wouldn't be clawed, he approached her. She had managed to sit upright in her bed, her legs hanging over the side, and her hand sitting on her chest. Her breathing was so out of control, she was wheezing.

Steve squatted in front of her, tears streaming down her cheeks, panic still gripping her body. He placed both hands on the sides of her face, "Azcuena, look at me. You're safe. Take a deep breath."

She couldn't slow her breathing; the terror had gripped her body and wouldn't let go. She could smell Woods in the room, on her skin, on her pajamas. It was too real. In between gasps of air, "He's here."

"WoFat's not here. You're safe. Look at me, take a deep breath." He took a breath, hoping she would follow his lead. After two breaths on his own, she tried to mimic him, it took a few attempts before she could take a deep breath.

"You're doing good. Keep breathing." He said, as he breathed with her. He removed one hand from the side of her face. He took her free hand and held it in his. He wanted her to feel connected to reality. She needed to know he was real and she was safe.

It took a little longer than he would have liked, but eventually, her breathing was under control. The tears had stopped, but the shaking was still noticeable. He removed his hand from her face and she threw herself into his arms.

He rubbed circles on her back, "I've got you, you're safe."

"It was so real." She whispered into his shoulder.

"I know, but you are safe. WoFat isn't here."

"I could smell him, and I could feel his hands on me." Her words a whisper, thick with fear.

"You're okay now. No one is here, just you and me." He continued to hold her, until the shaking finally stopped, and her breathing was completely back to normal. She pulled back and wiped at her eyes. Steve leaned back on his heels. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I need to go wash my face." She answered, avoiding eye contact. This surprised him because normally she could look him in the eye; but would avoid eye contact when talking about what had occurred.

She stood up, looked at floor, "Sorry for waking you up."

"It's okay, don't apologize for it." He responded, waiving it off. She left the room and closed the bathroom door. She ran cool water from the sink and let her hands gather it to her face. She had to get this out of her system. She couldn't go through these nightmares again. After three years this shouldn't be an issue. He was in prison an entire ocean away from her.

After splashing water on her face, she dried her face off, and looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was still splotchy. She rested her hands on the bathroom counter, looked at herself, and mentally lectured herself, "Let it go. He can't get you. You are perfectly safe. You need to forget this happened. Keep it in the past."

She hung up the damp hand towel, opened the door, and turned off the bathroom light. She nimbly descended the stairs and found Steve in the kitchen with a glass of cold water. She could see the fatigue at the corner of his eyes. He was exhausted.

He handed her the glass of water and she thanked him. She took a long drink and then looked up at him. His face expressed concern, but fortunately there were no pity eyes. He leaned against the kitchen counter, his voice soft and patient, "Can you tell me about it?"

This tore her insides apart, he was so caring and understanding. In this instance, she couldn't tell him anything. If she said anything other than the truth, she would be lying to him, and she couldn't bring herself to lie to Steve. Not after all the lies they had been through in their lives. However, she also couldn't tell him the truth. It killed her, and tears swelled in her eyes, "I want to tell you, but I can't. Please don't be mad."

"Azucena, I'm not mad. I'm worried about you." He reflected, running his hands along his face, "I've never heard you scream like that. Not even when he had us."

"It was a bad dream, that's all it was. I'm safe, you're safe, I just can't talk about it." She quietly pleaded with him.

"I'm not trying to push you." He answered, walking towards her with his arms open. She wrapped her arms around his torso and he rested his chin on top of her head, "I'm here if you want to talk."

"Thank you." She responded, her voice soft.

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Steve wrestled with his mind the balance of the night. He turned everything over in his head and tried to re-examine their time with Wo-Fat. The sound of her scream was visceral, he had never heard that sound from her before. It was sheer terror and panic. Her screams with WoFat and since had been more painful and suffering. This sound had been excruciating.

He remembered she said they had grabbed her and held a rag over her face. She remembered waking up in the cell with her shoes and socks removed and shackles around her ankles.

When he was drug into the room, she had a black eye and some dried blood at the corner of her mouth. There had been no other sign of abuse to her person. Her clothes were fully intact, minus her feet. He hadn't noticed any bruising to her arms and the rest of her person was covered by her clothes. He remembered how Wo-Fat had ran his hand over her body and she tried to get away from it, but that could have been just disgust with him touching her.

When he reviewed her injuries on the plane, her injuries were all in accordance with the damage inflicted by Wo-Fat, but he remembered her guarded manner when he tried to look at her ribs. She had grabbed her shirt before he could check her ribs. When he had explained what he was doing, she relaxed. _God, what if. . . what if WoFat had done more than beat her and she was covering it up?_

He mulled it over, it wasn't consistent with her injuries, but most of her body was covered by clothing. He needed to talk to Malia. First thing in the morning, he would call her. 

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She had waited for the sun to barely peek above the horizon before she was out the door on her run. There wasn't going to be a repeat of the previous night's events. She knew listening to Grace talk about Valentine's day for most of the afternoon had helped spark the nightmare. She also knew that she hadn't exhausted herself. She hadn't run or danced yesterday, so her body wasn't completely exhausted by the time she went to bed.

She wasn't going to make this mistake again. She was going to sleep through the night. She would get her eight miles in, dance, and then go to work. No night terrors, no WoFat, and no Woods.

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Steve stood in the kitchen waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. As he waited, he texted Chin,

 _Hey man, I know it is early on a Sunday. I need to talk to Malia about something important. When you guys are awake, will you have her give me a call. I would call her, but I really don't want to wake anyone up._

The coffee maker had finished brewing and he pulled down a mug from the cabinet. As he finished pouring his cup, his phone buzzed. Malia was calling, "Morning Malia."

"Good morning Steve, is everything okay?"

"No one is hurt or bleeding, so yes."

"Oh, you had me nervous there for a second. Chin said it was something important. What can I do for you?"

Steve struggled with this, he didn't want to violate Azucena's privacy, but he also was really concerned about her, "In November when we arrived at the hospital with Azucena, did you do a sexual assault exam?"

"Are you asking as her brother or as a cop?" questioned Malia, this was a fine line to walk with HIPPA guidelines.

"A concerned brother, but also as a cop. If we missed something, I need to make sure the charges get added to the report." He answered, being honest on both fronts.

"There is something that is driving this question. What's going on Steve?" she quizzed him, concern apparent in her voice as well.

"Malia, she's doing really well. She's sleeping the night through, she's doing great in school, punctual to her job, but last night out of the blue, she had a nightmare. I've never heard her scream like she did last night. It was excruciating."

He ran his hand over his face, fatigue apparent in his voice, "I've been up all-night rethinking everything that happened when I was with her and Wo-Fat. I'm afraid there's something she isn't telling me, and I want to make sure she gets the help she needs. I think I went worst case scenario, but that scream Malia. It was brutal."

"Did you ask her about it?"

"I asked her if she could tell me about the dream, and she said she wanted to, but she couldn't. I don't know if she couldn't tell me because it was so horrible or if she's trying to protect me. I'm just worried. If this is what it feels like to be a parent, I don't think I would be a very good one." He reflected.

"I think you would make a great parent Steve, but I really think she needs to talk to someone. Either you or a counselor, I think she really needs to talk about the trauma to get over it. You of all people know how PTSD can compound itself over time." Malia paused, "However, if I'm talking to Commander Steve McGarrett of the Govenor's Five-0 task force, we did a sexual assault exam and didn't find anything. However, that doesn't mean something didn't happen. That is all I can say."

"That is a relief. Thank you, Malia." He responded.

"Steve, I'm serious. You need to have an open and honest discussion with her. If she's waking up screaming about this still, she's not healing."

"I know and I agree." Steve sighed, this was going to be an incredibly awkward and painful discussion to have with a young woman he had known as his sister for three months. They had become close, but this might be too much too soon.


	40. Chapter 40: The Truth Shall Set You Free

**Trigger warning, violence and sexual assault are discussed in this chapter. Please read at your own risk.**

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She ran to the park where she had previously called Detective Larenzo. This seemed to be her place to make unpleasant phone calls. On her run over she had calculated the nineteen-hour time difference between Hawaii and Japan, it was going to be about two in the morning. It's a good thing Tommy loved her.

She paced as the phone rang, she heard him fumble with the phone and then his voice, heavy with sleep, "Red, you okay?"

"Tommy." She was relieved just hearing his voice. It's like her whole body had been vibrating, and his voice soothed her soul.

"Red?"

"I'm okay, I didn't mean to wake you. I just wanted to hear your voice."

"What happened?" she could hear the concern in his words.

"The worst nightmare in two years happened." She answered, tears started down her cheeks.

"Talk to me." She could tell he was awake and alert. She could imagine him on the other side of the world, sitting up in bed, turning on his bedside lamp, placing his feet on the floor, and his elbows resting on his knees.

"It was so real Tommy. I could feel his breath on my neck and his fingernails digging into my waist."

"It wasn't real. He's in prison; where he belongs."

"I know, but for those few minutes, I thought it was going to happen again." She exhaled, "I screamed so bad that Steve woke up, he was worried. More so than I have ever seen him."

"Did you tell him?"

"No, I couldn't handle it if he had pity eyes."

"Red, maybe he won't have them. He's a cop after all. He's seen this in his line of work."

"No, not doing it." She said, sounding like a stubborn child. Her voice went soft, "I just needed to hear your voice."

"I'll talk to you any hour of the day or night, you know that."

"I do, that's why I called you at 2:30 in the morning." They both laughed at this.

"I miss you Red."

"I miss you too Tommy." She paused, she really did miss having him in her life. He was her best friend in every sense of the word. "I shouldn't keep you. You need sleep."

"I can stay up."

"Get some rest and call me on your day off." She told him.

"Will do."

"Night Tommy."

"Night Red."

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Steve heard the front door open, he took a deep breath. He had to have this conversation, if not for his peace of mind, for her mental health. He had gotten some names of good counselors from Malia, it was just a matter of how to approach everything.

She walked into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. She offered one to Steve, he declined. She looked at him; she really studied him. "You okay? You don't look okay."

"I'm worried about you." He answered honestly, keeping eye contact with her. He could tell that statement made her uncomfortable. Her eye contact cut away for an instant and then returned to him, "I'm fine Steve. Last night was just a bad dream."

"Azcuena, I laid in bed last night and thought over everything that has happened since he had us. The sound you made last night wasn't like anything you've ever made before. If I'm being honest, it scared me." He responded, sharing his concerns with her.

"Last night had nothing to do with WoFat." She answered, looking down at the bottle of water in her hand. She really didn't want to do this, but she knew Steve. He was tenacious and sooner or later, he was going to find out. Tommy was right, he was a cop. He had probably seen this in his line of work.

"What?" he asked, confused. "When you woke up screaming you said, 'He's here.'"

"I wasn't talking about WoFat last night." She paused, and glanced up at him across the island, "If we must have this discussion, can we go sit by the water?"

"Sure." He said softly, unsure of himself as he gestured towards the lanai. She started towards the chairs and tried to compose herself. She never wanted to tell him any of this, but it was time. She couldn't keep hiding the truth. He would be out of prison in two years anyway.

She sat down in one of the chairs, in a manner Steve could only describe as uncomfortable. Her legs were all tucked up under her and he notice that she was making herself as small as humanely possible. Whatever she was getting ready to tell him, he knew wasn't good. He sat in the chair next to her and waited.

She stared out at the water, avoided eye contact with him, took a deep breath, and asked, "Have you ever heard the song _Famous in a Small Town_?"

He looked at her, and shook his head, "Can't say I have."

"It talks about how everyone is famous in a small town. Whether you get the first buck of the season, you make the front page of the paper, or you get caught sleeping with someone's mom; everyone dies famous in a small town."

She paused and asked, "Do you know what I'm famous for?"

He was focused on her and her body language. Her eyes never left the water. He could hear the tight edge in her voice; she could either bust out crying or become enraged in an instant. He saw this when he interviewed the victims of crimes, not the perps, but the victims. He knew whatever she was going to say, it was going to be bad. He kept it simple, "No."

She said it all in one breath, "I'm famous for being the sixteen-year-old girl that was raped on Valentine's Day by a stranger passing through town."

Her eyes never left the water, but a stray tear streaked down her cheek. His heart sank in his chest, his stomach dropped, and rage flooded his system. He could see the anger and sadness course through her person at the same time. He wanted to murder this man and comfort her at the same time. He knew no words would help her in this moment. Nothing he could say would make the pain or agony go away.

"That's why it was a sealed file, rape shield laws and you were a minor." He said, more to himself than to her. She nodded her head yes, eyes still focused on the water.

"What you don't know is that he was an off-duty cop and it was caught on security camera."

He ran his hands over his face, he wasn't prepared for any of this. It all made sense now, the way she moved to get away from Wo-Fat's hand, her discomfort with Steve trying to look at her ribs, the way she flushed anytime attention was focused on her, and after spending the day listening to Grace talk about Valentine's Day at school, the night terror from the previous evening.

Steve was hesitant to ask, "What was his sentence?"

"Five years." She supplied; her voice void of any emotion.

Before he could say anything further, she started remembering, "Valentine's was on a Thursday that year. I always closed on Thursday nights. Jack offered to let me have Valentine's off, but it had never been a big holiday to me. The 4th of July was always the holiday I asked off."

Steve leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. He watched her body language as she talked; he could hear the love in her voice when she talked about Jack. There was even a small smile on her face as she remembered him. "James and I were working that night. It was like any other night; we closed the doors at 10 like always. James cleaned the kitchen and I cleaned up the front of the house and counted out the drawer.

"The diner was on Main street. James always parked behind the building. So he would leave out the back, I would lock the back door, and exit through the front, locking the front door behind me. To get to our house, you had to walk down Main street about a quarter of a mile and turn left and walk another quarter of a mile. It was a seven-minute walk, about ten if you dawdled.

"I was walking in front of the alley between the tavern and the hardware store when out of nowhere, these arms grab me. He put one hand over my mouth and wrapped the other one around my waist. I tried to fight against him. I tried to scream. He whispered in my ear 'Don't make a sound or I will snap your neck.'" The tears began flowing freely down her face.

"He threw me down on the ground behind the dumpsters. I hit my head on the wheel of one of the trash bins." She turned away from the water and looked at Steve, "I was so disoriented from hitting my head that it took me a minute to register what was happening. He had pulled a knife and was sitting on my torso. He pinned my arms above my head, put the knife to my neck and said, 'You make a sound and I will slit your throat.'"

Steve swallowed. It was hard to listen to a victim talk about a crime of this nature, but when it was his own sister, he was gutted. If she had suffered through it, the least he could do was listen to her. He wanted so badly to find this man and rip him to pieces, but his purpose for the moment was to be here for her.

"He cut away my clothes with the knife while he pinned my hands above me head." She paused, "It was so cold. There was snow all over the ground. It's weird, but in that moment, I noticed how terribly cold it was."

"As he cut away my clothes, his knife sliced my thigh pretty deep. It didn't even faze him. I knew if I made any noise, he really would kill me." She paused, the tears were running freely and her voice was scared and tired at the same time. "And then, he raped me."

Steve wanted to reach out and comfort her, but at the same time he knew the last thing she would want was physical contact. He knew it would be more comforting to him than to her. He watched as she wiped away the tears on her cheeks. "When he finished, he lowered his face to mine, held the knife to my throat, and said, 'If you tell anyone, I will come back and kill you.'"

"By the time he ran off, I lay in the alley stunned. All I could smell was the musky cologne and I kept hearing his voice, 'I will kill you.'" She paused, looking back at the water. "Frog found me. His mom had sent him up to the tavern to get his Pops and bring him home. He had seen the man run out of the alley. He told the cops he heard crying, but I don't remember crying. He found me and he yelled for help. Someone leaving the tavern heard him. They ran into the tavern and the police were called."

"They caught him?" Steve questioned.

"Yeah, Old Man Taylor owned the hardware store. He was tired of kids spray painting the side of his building. The week prior he had installed a security camera so he could see who was vandalizing him. He pulled the footage for the police and they put a BOLO out on him. They found him seven towns over."

She rested her hand on her chest, he recognized this must be how she learned this self-soothing habit. "I love Grace, but after listening to her talk about that Valentine's box all day and not exhausting myself, it came back and haunted me last night. That's what the nightmare was about."

She was still looking out at the water, avoiding his gaze. He knew she was embarrassed and ashamed. He recognized it. He reached out, gently placing his hand on her arm. She flinched at his touch, "Azucena, can you look at me?"

She swallowed and turned her face towards him, "I can't imagine the strength and pain it took for you to share that with me. I am so sorry this happened to you."

She turned her head away; it was too much emotion for her to process. She looked out at the water for a moment, wiped the tears away and looked back at Steve, "I couldn't tell you earlier, when you asked about the sealed record and I never wanted to lie to you, but I just want this to stay in the past."

"I won't say anything about it and I shouldn't have pushed. Last night was so different; I was just so worried."

"It's okay, you care. That's the important part, but you can't have pity eyes." She said, and then she looked out over the water. She reflected, "After it happened, everyone in the town had these big, old hound dog pity eyes. You can't have those. That's half of the reason I didn't want to say anything to you."

"I'm not certain what pity eyes look like, but you have the right to call me out, should I ever express them." He paused and then posed his next question, "That's why you stopped dancing and singing in the choir?"

"Yeah, every time anyone in the town looked at me, it was like they were imagining what happened in their head. Their face would cringe, and it just was so uncomfortable. It was almost an involuntary reaction for them, but for me to heal, I just couldn't be around it."

"You run –" he started, but she cut him off before he could finish, "I run so it can never happen again, but with WoFat's minions, we see how well that theory worked out."

"When we sparred?" he quietly questioned.

"Woods, not WoFat." She responded, matter-of-factly. "He was tall and broad shoulder, but I don't want to stop sparring with you. If anything, I want to do that more often."

"We can make that happen, today even."

"That would be nice." She answered, "If I can run myself down, we shouldn't have a repeat of last night."

"What do you mean, 'run yourself down?'"

"When Woods happened, I took up running for two reasons. One, so it could never happen again. Two, so I would be so exhausted every night that I would pass out and wouldn't dream. When Wo-Fat happened, I utilized the same philosophy. I run eight miles every day and on week days, I dance two hours at the studio on campus."

"Azucena, that's not healthy." Answered Steve, surprised that he hadn't realized this already. He was a Navy SEAL and a cop. He should have picked up on it.

"It's healthier than any other vice I could have," she protested, "and it works."

"Have you thought of talking to a counselor?" he asked, hoping it was helpful.

"Steve, our lives aren't exactly normal. I don't think me sharing everything about WoFat would be a good idea. Additionally, everyone was terrified that WoFat found me through that sealed file. You think I want him to be able to break into some shrink's office and have access to my deepest, darkest fears and terrors?"

He couldn't argue with her on either front; she wasn't wrong. "What can I do?"

"Just be the brother you've been for the last three months. I couldn't ask for anything more."

"I can do that." He said, "And if you ever need to talk."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

That sat in the chairs and watched the waves crash against the shore.


	41. Chapter 41: One Hell Of A Survivor

**Possible trigger warning – Please be forewarned.**

 **For those that leave notes, (Stephanie and the Guest note writer) thank you so much. Your kind words mean the world to me! Avy73**

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"Have you eaten breakfast yet?" she asked, interrupting the quiet that had washed over them as they sat on the shoreline.

"Nah, I was so concerned about talking with you that I couldn't eat anything." Steve answered, honestly.

"I ran ten this morning, I'm ridiculously disgusting, but there is a food truck that serves breakfast tacos. It sounds kind of good this morning. Wanna go? My treat."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good change of pace for breakfast." He answered, looking over at her. She was still staring out at the water.

"I've got to take a shower first. I can smell myself, ugh!" she answered, as she stood up from the chair. She turned toward the house and as she made her way up, Steve called out to her, "Take your time, but holler when you're ready."

"Won't be long."

He reflected on everything she had told him; he was seething. He felt anger every time he spoke with a victim of this crime, but now it had become personal. Now it was his little sister. She had said Woods, he had a last name to go on and he knew that it had happened three years ago. First thing tomorrow morning, he was going to do some research when he arrived at the office.

Then he thought about Azucena. She was stronger than he had ever imagined; losing three parents, surviving a vicious sexual assault, and then being kidnapped and tortured. No wonder she was plagued by nightmares. His mind skipped to all the nightmares. He thought back to each instance and he realized, she hadn't been confusing the jungle with woods. Woods had been in her nightmares with WoFat. She had kept it to herself for three months. She had suffered in relative silence for the last three months because she was afraid he would look at her differently.

The words she had screamed out in her nightmares echoed through is mind. _¡_ _Déjame en paz! Not again! Help me!_ _¡_ _Ayudame!_ He remembered the words she cried out between sobs, _knife . . . hurt so bad._ Now that he knew, the words drove home her absolute fear and terror, _I could smell him and I could feel his hands on me._

He fast forwarded to how nervous she was when Joe went back to Silver Pond. He remembered the town alcoholic had told Joe Azucena had a run in with the law near the tavern. That woman was sick, and he could understand his sister's anger that night.

After running through all this information in his mind, he could only focus on one thought. His sister was one hell of a survivor. She might be quiet and reserved; she might easily blush when attention was focused on her; but deep down her grit and determination were inspiring. He was amazed by her.

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They piled into the truck, and he watched as she sat cross legged on the seat. Her flexibility hurt to look at some days, but she was comfortable. As they drove down the street, he wanted to ask something, but he wasn't certain if he should. He glanced over at her, her sunglasses hiding her eyes. She didn't even turn to look at him, "What's on your mind?"

"Can I ask a question, about everything?" he hesitantly asked, using a hand gesture that he could have sworn Danny would use. Suddenly, he was terribly uncomfortable about the whole thing.

"I'm not certain our conversations can get any more awkward and uncomfortable than it did this morning, so shoot." She answered, trying to be light hearted. He appreciated her attempt, but it didn't make things any less awkward for him.

"Sealed files aside, how did the CIA and DCF not have anything about what happened?"

"We call it 'the incident.'" She offered, nonchalantly.

"Huh?"

"You don't know what to call it," She observed, as she pulled her hair up into a clip, "and you don't want to say anything that might upset me. Tommy, Frog, Dean, Jack and I, we all refer to it as 'the incident.' It sounds weird, but it doesn't give him power. It makes it sound less dramatic and that works for me. So, if you need to know what to call it, just go with 'the incident.'"

She was trying to put him at ease; she shouldn't have had to do that. He was a professional and with anyone else, he could be professional. With her, it was different. He didn't know how to address it and here she was trying to make him comfortable about her rape. This was so messed up. "How did the CIA and DCF not have any information on the incident?"

"I've thought about that quite a bit. When you told me on the airplane that the CIA had files on me, and you were going to pull those and DCF's file I about had a coronary. Then, that day in the hospital, you asked straight up what was in the sealed file; I figured that information was missing." She paused, "I think George MacAvoy removed the files from DCF, but I'm not certain how. DCF was at the hospital, but I was in and out of consciousness because of blood loss, I don't remember what all was said or done.

"As for the CIA not finding out, I don't think he ever reported it. MacAvoy was the town curmudgeon, but he was always nice to me. I'm thinking he thought it was no one's business but my own, and he left it out. I'm honestly thankful that he did."

Steve processed the information she provided, it seemed to make sense. A CIA agent could have the pull to have all that information removed from Azucena's DCF files. It wouldn't surprise him. "What was MacAvoy like?"

"Everyone thought he was a grouchy old man, but he was nice to the four of us." She reflected, "He would come into the diner from time to time, always ordered the same thing: meatloaf with mashed potatoes, dinner salad with French dressing, and whatever cobbler we had for the season. He was a good tipper.

"Occasionally we would run into him on the riverbanks fishing. He always talked to us, which was a big deal because he didn't talk to many people."

He watched his sister out of the corner of his eyes; she was animated when she talked of the people of Silver Pond. They were a big part of her life and most of that life had been a pretty positive experience. He was grateful for everything Jack and Clara had done for her through the good times and the bad. And he was thankful for George MacAvoy.


	42. Chapter 42: Tired

**Trigger warning, please be forewarned.**

 **To my Guest note leaver, oh you are very creative! Your second note made me really think about how I wanted to write this, and I still haven't made up my mind completely. Thanks for the idea! ~Avy73**

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Steve arrived in the office before the rest of the team and had been searching for anything he could find on Woods. It had taken longer than he would have liked because the case hadn't been filed under Silver Pond, but the county in which Silver Pond resided in. After about ten minutes he found it.

As he read through the file, he was sickened. Frank Woods was a cop in Denver, Colorado. He had a long-distance girlfriend that lived about fifty miles from Silver Pond. In a romantic gesture to surprise his girlfriend, he showed up to her place unannounced to find her in bed with another man.

The file read Frank Woods was so angry he went on a bender and stopped at multiple taverns between his girlfriend's town and Silver Pond. It was in Silver Pond, he went out to the alley to relieve himself and drive to the next town when he saw a young woman walking alone at night. He had been planning to get some action for Valentine's Day and decided that she would do instead.

The file notated that Frank denied the assault, until the video evidence was brought to his attention. Even then, he said it was mutual. The young woman approached him. It wasn't until they forced him to watch the video that he admitted that she was not a willing participant. There was no getting around the fact that he had indeed raped Jane Doe.

Anger coursed through Steve's veins as he read the various injuries Jane Doe had sustained in the attack: six-inch knife wound on right thigh (requiring thirty-six stitches), one-inch gash to the back of the head (requiring six stitches), concussion, and various scratches and contusions. Victim lost consciousness at the scene of the crime due to blood loss.

Jane Doe's injury pictures were included in the file, but her face had been grayed out. After looking at the pictures, a rage Steve had never felt before pulsed through his person. He couldn't understand how a person could do this to another human being, let alone a sixteen-year-old kid. Azucena had been a kid when a monster brutally violated her. His research and anger were interrupted when Danny barged into his office, "You're here early."

Steve closed the laptop and looked up at Danny. He tried his hardest to reign in his anger, "Yeah, couldn't sleep."

"You look off, your color isn't right."

"How's Grace? Was she excited to take her hot air balloon box to school?" asked Steve, changing the subject. Danny caught it but played along for a short while.

"Yes, she was thrilled to take the Valentine's box to school. Your sister's amazing and patient. I was dreading that box." He paused, "So why the change in subject? You sick or something?"

"No, I'm not sick Danny. Just doing some research."

"Cold case? Want help?"

"Thanks, but I'm good. Don't you have court today?"

"I feel like you are trying to get rid of me." Answered Danny, "I don't have court until this afternoon. What's the case? You look sick."

Steve was torn. He promised he wouldn't say anything about what happened to Azucena. However, after everything he had read that morning, he was sick to his stomach and felt like he needed to get it off his chest. "I found out what is in the sealed file on Azucena."

Danny read Steve's facial expressions, it told him things were serious. Danny ran through his head all the reasons a minor would have a sealed file. His mind found the worst scenario and combined it with Steve's facial expressions, "How bad?"

"I'm sick just reading it." Answered Steve, honestly. "She told me everything yesterday and I promised I wouldn't say anything to anyone, but Danny after everything I read this morning, this is eating me from the inside out."

"Babe, I'm not going to say anything to anyone and I won't let on that I know." Answered Danny, in full serious mode. He sat down in the chair across from Steve's desk.

"Saturday night she had a nightmare. Danny, I have never heard her scream like that. It took me longer than normal to get her to wake up and when she did, she couldn't look at me. She wouldn't tell me anything about the dream.

"I panicked Danny, I went worst case scenario with WoFat. I thought WoFat must have done something to her prior to my arrival in that bunker. I tried to ask her about it yesterday morning and she told me everything. Today's the three-year anniversary.

"She was so scared of having a nightmare last night, that I found her asleep at the dining room table at 2 am. Her face buried in a textbook.

"If it was anybody besides her or Mary, I would know what to do. I could treat this with the professionalism it deserves, but I'm at a loss. All I want to do is pull this man out of prison and beat him to death." Admitted Steve, a look of defeat on his face.

Danny took in the appearance of his partner and could see his heart was shattered for his little sister. The parent in Danny came out, "Well, as much as it would make you feel better to beat the man to death, I think you would end up in jail and Azucena would be upset by that. So that is not an acceptable plan.

Danny paused, "Has she talked to someone, a counselor perhaps?"

"I brought that up yesterday." Answered Steve, running his hands over his face, "She pointed out the fact that WoFat is quite resourceful and she didn't want him to have the ability to break into some shrink's office and read her deepest fears."

Danny hadn't thought about it that way, the kid was smart. "She makes a good point."

"I know."

"As difficult as this is for you, there is nothing you can do to fix it. It's the hardest lesson I learned as a parent. You just have to be there for her. You can't go kill him and you can't make the nightmares disappear. Just be there to help her pick up the pieces."

"I want to fix it." Confessed Steve.

"You can't." answered Danny, somberly. At that moment Steve's cell phone rang; it was dispatch, they had a case.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Azucena slept through her alarm clock that morning. She was tired and she didn't have class until nine. When her phone buzzed again, it wasn't her alarm, it was an actual phone call. She looked at the phone screen, Detective Lorenzo was calling. She rolled over on her back and answered, "Hello Sam."

"Azucena." His voice was tight, she could tell he was uncomfortable. She doubted he was calling to just check on her, seeing as how it was the anniversary, but stranger things could happen.

"What's going on Sam?"

"I have some news to share." He answered, his voice still uneasy, "I just received word that Woods has a parole hearing coming up."

"What?" Azucena asked, lurching forward in bed. She was on her feet in an instant, pacing the room.

"Got the email from the prison about ten minutes ago. I know what today is, so I was hesitant to call. However, you're going to get a letter in the mail and I didn't want you to be surprised."

"Son of a bitch, how does this happen?" she questioned out loud. "He was sentenced to five years. He has two more years to serve."

"Well," Sam drew out the single word, "apparently he has good behavior and found Jesus."

"He should have found Jesus three years ago!" she exclaimed, and then she realized that she was being bitchy to Sam. Sam, the local detective, who was only doing his job. "I'm sorry Sam. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"You're just fine." He answered, his drawl a little slower than normal. "You're entitled to get upset about this. If I were in your shoes, I'd be pissed."

"What happens at a parole hearing? What are the odds they don't let him out?" she asked, millions of questions running through her mind.

"Well, you can attend the hearing and tell the parole board why he shouldn't be released from prison. If you can't make it in person, or wish to not appear in person, you can send a letter and I will read it to the parole board on your behalf. The three-person board will listen to everyone's input and make a decision."

"We just have to convince three people that he shouldn't be released?"

"Yes, but you're also coming up against pressure to meet the state budget for the correctional facilities. No one is going to say that, but that will weigh heavily into the decision. I just want you to be aware." Sam provided, he didn't want her to be surprised if the board ruled in Woods' favor.

"When is the parole hearing?"

"In two weeks, March 1st."

"If I can't make it out for the hearing, do I just send the letter to you?" she questioned. She wasn't certain how she would juggle school and work. Also, the cost of a last-minute plane ticket was going to be astronomical.

"You can send it to me or in the letter you receive from the prison, it will tell you where to send a letter."

"Okay, thanks for letting me know Sam." Her Midwest hospitality surfacing; she was thanking someone for letting her know that her rapist might be leaving jail. How messed up was this situation?

"Let me know if you need anything from me Azucena." And with that, he hung up.

Her heart was racing, her hands shaking, and every fiber of her body was pissed off at the world. She pulled up her contacts and called Tommy. Just what he probably wanted, another phone call in the middle of the night.

The phone rang, and he picked up on the third ring, "Red?"

"Tommy." He could hear the shiver in her voice.

"I'm here, give me a minute to get my bearings." He said, she could hear him sit up in bed. "What's going on?"

"Sam called me this morning. He wanted to let me know that Woods has a parole hearing in two weeks. There's the possibility that they will let him out early." She was trying to stay calm and collected, but it was Tommy. With him, she never had to put on the brave face, and right now she was so tired. Tired of being brave, tired of fighting WoFat and Woods in her sleep, tired of looking over her shoulder every day to make sure WoFat wasn't there, tired of running herself ragged just to sleep at night, tired of trying to move forward when she felt like the powers of the world were working against her.

"What the hell for?"

"Good behavior," she paused, "and apparently he found Jesus."

"Fuck that," he was angry. He could hear the exhaustion in her voice and he could tell she was fighting back tears, "good behavior and God don't make up for what he did to you. What all did Sam say?"

"The hearing is in two weeks. I can either go there and tell the parole board why he shouldn't be released early, or I can send a letter and Sam will read it to the board."

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"I honestly don't know. I should go and tell them why he shouldn't be released, I think it would have a more powerful impact."

"But?" he could hear the hesitation in her voice. He was certain he knew the answer.

"I don't want to be anywhere near him." It was a whisper. So soft he could have missed it, but he knew her. As strong and as brave as she was, she was still terrified. She fought for a long time to get her life back to normal, and she had done one hell of a job; but the memory of him still terrorized her.

"You don't have to go." He answered, letting her know either approach was acceptable. "Whether you go there or send a letter, your words are still going to be the same. They will have the same impact."

"Tommy, I'm so tired." She whispered, tears in her words.

"I know Red." His heart broke for her. He wished he were there to hold her.


	43. Chapter 43: I Sleep, But I Don't Rest

**Trigger warning – please be forewarned.**

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Steve, Danny, Kono, and Chin stood over the dead body, listening to Max describe his analysis of the individual's death. It had been painful and slow. It appeared the victim had been the casualty of the Triad's.

In the middle of Max's analysis, Steve's phone rang. It was dispatch, "McGarrett."

The operator's voice came over the line, "Commander, I have someone on hold who wishes to speak to you. He says it's about your sister."

"Did he give a name?" Surprise in his voice, as he walked away from the crime scene.

"Tommy Roberts." The operator answered.

"Put him through." Steve couldn't imagine why this call was happening, but he doubted it was anything good.

The operator connected Tommy to Steve's phone, "Commander McGarrett?"

"Speaking, you're Azucena's friend." Confirmed Steve.

"Yes sir, I didn't mean to bother you at work, but I felt it was important to get ahold of you."

"You're in Japan, right?" questioned Steve.

"Yes sir."

"So, it's 3:30 in the morning where you are." Observed Steve, "This must be important."

"Your sister is one of my closest friends and I'm concerned about her. She's probably going to disown me if she finds out that I'm calling you." Tommy answered honestly. "I doubt she has told you and I don't know if she will, but Frank Woods has a parole hearing coming up."

"What?" questioned Steve, surprised didn't even begin to cover his emotions. He had spent the morning reading all the horrible things this man had done and to find out that he was going to have a parole hearing was outrageous.

"Sam called Red about an hour ago and told her." Steve had to translate this sentence for a moment. He had forgotten that Azucena's friends called her "Red." Tommy continued, "Needless to say, she called me and –"

Before Tommy could finish Steve interrupted him, "Who's Sam?"

"He's the detective that worked Red's case, Sam Lorenzo." Explained Tommy. He had to be patient and remind himself that Steve hadn't been through all of this like they had. He had just found out about everything yesterday.

"He called Azucena this morning?" questioned Steve.

"Yeah, apparently the prison let Sam know today and he was hesitant to call Red because of what today is, but he didn't want her to be surprised when she got the letter in the mail." Steve understood, and he was thankful Sam had decided to call. The timing was absolutely terrible, but at least there was a little forewarning.

"Sorry for interrupting, please continue." Steve said, he was curious why Tommy was calling him.

"It took Red three months to tell you about what happened and after talking with her this morning, I can't figure out if she's going to tell you about the parole hearing or not. But what I can tell you is she's going to fall apart." Tommy paused, he felt like he was betraying Azucena, but he wasn't there to help her through this mess, so the best thing he could do was prepare Steve for what was going to happen.

"You're calling to forewarn me?" supplied Steve, everything finally making sense.

"Yes sir." Answered Tommy, "I know she told you about Woods, but I doubt she told you about the two times after he was imprisoned that she was hospitalized for exhaustion."

"No, she didn't tell me about that." Answered Steve, concern apparent in his voice.

"Your sister is a tough woman, but Woods really messed her up. She's going to do everything possible to make her life normal, and in the process, she will run herself down so bad that she will get sick. So sick she can't function. She will run incredible distances to wear herself down, so she can sleep. The problem is, she doesn't sleep well." Tommy paused, "Talking to her this morning, I can already tell that she's starting down this road. I'm not there to stop it, so I'm asking you, please watch her. The fact that he has a parole hearing is almost like he's violating her again. If he gets parole, I can't imagine how that will affect her."

Tommy's words were hitting too close to home for Steve. It was as if the man was here and had witnessed the last three months. Steve shouldn't have been surprised, if he was being honest with himself, Tommy knew Azucena better than he did. He assumed Tommy could provide some insight, "What do I do to help her?"

"Get her to talk to you and listen to her words. She won't look you in the eye, but she will talk. Pay attention to the words she uses, tired doesn't always mean sleepy. Tired means she's done fighting the fight and wants to give up. She used it this morning and that's why I'm concerned.

"If she runs, run with her, but don't let her go too long. Make her take days off.

"Lastly, she used to take an anti-anxiety medicine. It helped her calm down a little. I don't think she takes it anymore, but it might be a good idea to start again. I'm not a doctor, but it helped the last time."

"You're a good friend to her." Steve offered. He was thankful for everything this young man had shared with him and he understood the risk he was taking. "I won't let her know that I talked to you. I'll let her know I read Woods' file."

"Thanks." Answered Tommy.

"Let me give you my number, so if you need to call me again, you can call me direct. You got a pen?"

Steve gave Tommy his phone number and Tommy said he would text Steve so if he needed to reach out, he could. As they were wrapping up the phone conversation, Steve offered, "Next time you and Frog have R&R, come out to the islands and stay at our place. She would love to have you guys around and it would be nice to meet you both."

"Thank you, sir." Answered Tommy, "I'll be sure to let Frog know."

They disconnected, and Steve walked back over to the group. He looked at Danny, "Can you take care of this? I have something I have to address."

"Yeah, everything okay?" questioned Danny.

"Probably not" answered Steve, as he walked over to the Camaro. He could hear Danny sputtering in the background about not even being in his own car when it was being driven. Steve headed towards the house, he knew she didn't have class until 9.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

As he pulled into the driveway, he could tell she had already left as her bike wasn't on the front porch. Pulling out his phone, he plugged her phone number into an app and tracked her location. He wasn't happy about tracking her, but he was concerned enough to violate her privacy in this instance.

Her blinking dot appeared on campus and popped up in the gymnasium building. He assumed she was in one of the dance studios she had mentioned yesterday. He pointed the Camaro towards campus and pushed the speed limit. However, he did reign himself in and didn't use the lights or siren. That was about all the self-control he could muster.

He pulled into an empty parking stall and jogged towards the entrance of the building. He hadn't been in this building before but managed to find the dance wing. He glanced through various glass windows before he found the studio she occupied. She was clad in a black leotard with black leg warmers extending over her knees. A lavender cardigan covered her arms and tied around her torso multiple times.

He had never seen her dance before and he was awed. She was graceful and light. It was almost as if she flitted through the air, but every movement was precise and eloquent. She was so involved in the music and her movements that she didn't see him in the window. He continued to watch, until an older woman approached him, "May I help you, sir?"

"My sister." Steve said, pointing towards Azucena, pride in his voice at her abilities.

"She's one of my best students." The older woman responded, as she walked towards the window and stood with Steve.

"Really?" Steve asked, partially surprised as Azucena hadn't danced in three years.

"She was a little rusty at the beginning of the semester, but her dedication and precision are impeccable." The woman explained, as she watched the young woman execute rond de jambe attitude at the end of the song and hold it. Steve took in the site of his sister, standing pointe on one leg, the other leg curled behind her, her back arched and arms curved above her head. He couldn't imagine the core strength she possessed to hold that pose.

The older woman rapped her hand on the glass, startling Azucena. Her attention was immediately pulled away from the mirror in front of her and cut to the doorway. Her hand went to her chest for a moment, but quickly fluttered away as she walked towards the doorway, stopping at the stereo to pause her iPod. The older woman looked at Steve, "You may enter, but please don't let your boots scuff up the flooring."

She wandered back down the hallway. Steve pulled the door open and entered the studio. He was impressed with her abilities, "You're amazing!"

A smile crossed her face, "Thank you."

She walked to her backpack and pulled out a bottle of water. She took a drink as she gathered her thoughts, she couldn't imagine why Steve was here or let alone how he found her. Then her mind immediately jumped to worst case scenario, "Everything okay? Is WoFat on the island?"

"WoFat's not here." He answered immediately. He realized his sudden appearance meant bad news for her and her questions drove the point home. He watched as she leaned against the barre, "I read through Woods' file this morning and then I saw that he has a parole hearing on the first."

He watched as the blood drained from her face, he couldn't tell if she was upset that he read the file or the fact that Woods was having a hearing. She closed her eyes tightly, he was reminded of a small child wishing away a bad dream. "You read it?"

"Yeah, I pulled the file this morning." He answered honestly. She swung her left leg up on the barre and stretched into it. Her flexibility made him cringe. "Why?"

"Because what you told me yesterday made me want to find the man and beat him to death." Answered Steve, the truth coming out. "I couldn't understand how a monster does what he did to you and deny it. I'm also struggling because if it had happened to anyone else, besides you or Mary, I would know how to handle this. I don't know how to help you and I thought I might find some answers in that file."

"Did you?" she asked, as she switched legs. She leaned into the stretch as she looked at him.

"No, it gave me more questions than answers." He admitted. She removed her leg from the barre, turned her back to it, and rested her elbows on the barre. "So you know about the parole hearing?"

"Yeah, it was notated in the file and that Jane Doe had been informed of the upcoming hearing. I figured you were going to be pretty upset, so I thought I would check on you."

"I'm pissed." She answered honestly, one of her feet moving to pointe position. She stretched her body over the foot and back off. She continued to do this, alternating feet as they talked.

"You have every right to be."

"It's sickening, you know? He made a terrible decision three years ago and I have to live with the consequences. Over the past three years he has behaved himself and found Jesus and suddenly they are considering letting him out? I'm so angry I could spit tacks!"

He could feel the anger radiating off her in waves. He felt the same way. "What do you want to do about it?"

"Want to do?" she echoed, "I want him to rot in jail for the rest of his life, so he can't do this to someone else. I want him to feel the terror and helplessness I felt that night and for months thereafter. I want him to go to sleep every night and wonder if he will wake up in a cold sweat screaming. The proper question is, what am I going to do? And the truth of the matter is I don't have an answer."

Steve watched as she slid down to the floor underneath the barre, he followed suit. He sat next to her, their shoulders touching, just like the night in her little apartment after the nightmare. He looked at her in the mirror, as she ran her fingers over the top of her leg warmer, "The terror and helplessness, do you still feel that way?"

She glanced over at him and looked him in the eye, she could read he was asking about more than Woods. He was asking about WoFat too. She couldn't lie to him, but she wanted clarification before she answered. "Are you asking about Woods or WoFat?"

"I'm asking in general, do you still feel that terror and helplessness? I can only assume you do because of the nightmares." He explained, wanting to know how she truly felt.

"You have done a wonderful job of making me feel safe in the house. I know I am safe and you would do anything you could to protect me." She paused, she didn't want to hurt his feelings, "I never fully recovered from Woods. I don't trust people very easily and I don't particularly like being outside after dark by myself.

"Then WoFat happened, it just slashed open old wounds. It brought back the terror and helplessness that I felt that night. Some days I do really good and the past stays in the past; but other days, it suffocates me, and I can barely function.

"I look at you and I can't imagine how it hasn't affected you, but you always seem in control and not fazed by anything."

"Do you know in SEAL training, they teach you to endure torture?" he asked, knowing this would give her insight to his behavior.

"I was not aware of that." She responded, "That had to be absolutely horrifying."

"It was, if I'm going to be honest about it." He answered, "But because of that training, and many other things I endured, I'm trained to cope with the trauma we experienced. You weren't trained to endure what you went through with either Woods or WoFat. The need to feel safe is perfectly normal. The need to find that safety and have it in your everyday life isn't something to be ashamed of."

She reflected on his words, he was telling her that it was okay to feel what she was feeling. He was supporting her. She figured it was time to be honest with him, completely honest.

She looked at him in the mirror and she wrapped her arms around her knees in front of her, he kept eye contact with her, "I'm tired Steve. I'm tired of looking over my shoulder every day to make sure WoFat isn't behind me. I'm tired of freezing up every time Kamekona calls me 'little sistah.' I'm tired of fighting both of them in my sleep each night. I'm tired of running myself ragged just to make sure I get some sleep. I sleep, but I don't rest."

It was the last sentence that hit him, Tommy had known all along. She was telling him without telling him that she was exhausted. She was admitting that she had a problem and she needed help.


	44. Chapter 44: We

**Trigger warning – Please be forewarned**

 **Special words of thanks to KiwiKaren, Stephanie, and my Guest reader. Your notes me the world to me and I'm happy you are enjoying the story. That brings me great joy. Additionally, to all the other readers, I'm glad you're still reading. I never expected this story to be this long.**

 **This chapter was hard to write (time wise and topic wise). My life has gotten a little crazy, so the next update might not be for a while. I appreciate your patience. ~Avy73**

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 _I sleep, but I don't rest._ He knew exactly what she meant by that sentence. He had been there after he lost Freddie and his father. When it was closer to the anniversary of Freddie's death or his father's death, this described his sleep pattern. He slept, but it was fitful and troubled sleep. He knew he slept, but his body didn't feel like it at all.

He continued to look at her in the mirror, "When was the last time you really slept?"

"Aside from the drugs at the hospital, prior to WoFat." She paused, "Now this has happened, I don't know how I'm going to do this."

Steve knew she was talking about the Woods situation. He couldn't disagree with her, he was questioning it himself. However, he had to be the practical big brother in this situation. He had to be the calm and collected one, "Let's take things one at a time. What did you do after Woods, besides running yourself ragged?"

"I took an anti-anxiety medicine." She said, her head leaning against the wall behind her, her eyes closed. Her arms stretched out and resting on her knees that were still drawn up in front of her. It surprised him how she found a way to take up the smallest space possible when talking about WoFat or Woods.

"Maybe you try that again and see if it helps you." He offered, as he watched her reaction.

She surprised him by shaking her head no, "Pass."

"What's wrong with taking a medicine to help you?" he asked, genuinely curious. He wasn't a big medicine taker, but when it was needed, he used them.

"That medicine made me feel like I didn't care about anything. It made me numb and almost like I was in a daze." She answered, her eyes cast down at the wooden floor of the studio.

He took in her words and he immediately thought back to the airplane. She had broken ribs and had been beaten, yet she refused anything stronger than ibuprofen. Combining that with knowledge of the incident, he could read more than what she was saying, "Does it make you feel like you don't have control."

She nodded her head yes, and in a whisper, "It petrifies me."

Control was important to her, and now he completely understood. If he had been in her shoes, he would have felt the same way. In two instances of her life, her power and control had been taken away. He could understand how she would rather run herself ragged and feel like the walking dead than be helpless. "What if we talked to Malia and she could help you find a medicine and dosage that didn't make you feel that way. Would you be open to that?"

He watched her as she mulled over the idea. He knew Malia would be more than happy to help, but he could understand Azucena's reluctance. He wasn't going to be surprised if she said no, but he was relieved when she quietly answered, "Ok."

"How about I text Malia and see if she can squeeze you into her schedule and you go change?"

"Sounds good." She said. Steve was surprised when she reached out for his hand and gently squeezed it, "Thank you."

"Anytime kiddo." He replied, as he gently squeezed her hand back. She pushed herself off the floor of the studio and reached out a hand to Steve. Being over-dramatic, she helped pull him off the studio floor, trying to inject a little humor into their day. She grabbed her bag and headed toward the locker room.

Steve pulled out his cell phone and called Malia directly, she picked up after three rings, "Steve?"

"Malia, I need some help." He answered, he was thankful to be making this phone call with Azucena out of the room.

"What can I do for you, Steve?" That was one of the many characteristics he appreciated about Malia. She was always willing to help, no matter the situation.

"I talked to Azucena yesterday and things are much more complicated than I ever imagined." He paused, he was a little overwhelmed with everything going on at the moment. "She informed me yesterday that she was brutally raped when she was sixteen."

"My God." Responded Malia, shock in her voice, "No wonder she's having horrific nightmares, the situation with WoFat probably brought everything back to the surface."

"That's exactly it, but it gets worse Malia. Today's the three-year anniversary and she found out that he has a parole hearing coming up." Steve ran his hand over his face, "Needless to say, this day has been pretty bad."

"I can't even imagine." Answered Malia, "What can I do to help?"

"First of all, please don't share this with anyone else and secondly, do you have some time to meet with her today? She's not sleeping and the last time something like this happened, she took an anti-anxiety medicine to help her sleep and process everything. The problem is, the medicine made her feel like she didn't have any control."

Malia stopped him, "This conversation stays between the two of us. As for Azucena, control is important for a rape survivor. She needs to be on something that doesn't numb her and she can feel like she has control in her life."

"That's exactly it. I wasn't certain if that exists, but I have convinced her it would be wise for her to talk with you and see what you can do."

"I have appointments for the next forty-five minutes, but I can see her after those. Can you guys drive to the hospital and I'll meet you in the lobby. She and I can talk in my office."

"Malia, thank you so much!" Steve said, relief washing over his person.

"I'm more than happy to help." She responded, "See you shortly."

The call disconnected, and Steve took a deep breath. Hopefully this would take care of one of the problems she had been fighting. They would tackle Wood's parole hearing next, but this felt like a step in the right direction and Steve was thankful for that.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Azucena met Steve outside the dance studio in her street clothes. Her hair still up in pigtail buns on the sides of her head. This hairstyle was one of her more eccentric styles and oddly, he enjoyed it, "Malia can see you in about 45 minutes, is that okay?"

"Yeah." She nodded, her eyes downcast as they walked towards the parking lot. Steve had noticed that she did that most every time they had talked about Woods lately. She always avoided eye contact, but now he observed how she looked down. He had seen it on other victims, this overbearing shame that enveloped them.

"I'm probably overstepping my boundaries when I say this, so you have every right to ignore me." He paused, she looked at him curious about what he was going to say, "You realize you have nothing to be ashamed about. What he did to you, there are no words for; but you don't have to be embarrassed about it with me or your reaction to everything going on right now. There is no judgement here."

She knew that must have been hard for him to say. She could remember the reactions from Jack, Tommy, Frog, and Dean. It was almost as if they were sorry for what their gender had done to her, but they didn't know what to do about it.

Jack did everything he could to help her and they were open and honest about everything. When Tommy found out she wasn't sleeping, he crawled in her bedroom window and let her fall asleep in his arms. Jack hadn't been real thrilled about it, but as long as she was sleeping, that was all that mattered. Dean and Frog walked her to and from work every night. She was never alone on that walk again.

She knew there was no judgement with them and the pity eyes were non-existent after the first few days. They saw past the rape and wanted to help their friend. Steve fell into the same category as the guys. She could tell that he saw more to her than the rape and once they got past this parole hearing, it would go back into the past. They just had to get there.

"Thanks, I appreciate it. It's just after it happened, everyone in town had these terrible expressions on their faces, the pity eyes. I got so tired of seeing it, that most of the time it was easier to avoid eye contact. It's a bad habit I fall into when this stuff resurfaces." She answered, more honestly than she had intended. They approached the Camaro, her curiosity piqued, "Why do you have Danny's Camaro?"

"It's a long story."

"I'm sure it could be covered during the ride to the hospital." She paused, "Does Danny know you have his car?"

"Yeah, and he bitched about it when I borrowed it."

"Should we stop by the station and give him his car back?" she offered, they had plenty of time. She liked Danny and she could only imagine how irritating it was not to be able to drive your car every day and then to occasionally have it commandeered.

"It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to switch out vehicles." Answered Steve, as he slid into the driver's seat that was set for his frame. Danny hadn't said anything, but he had probably noticed how Steve had set the number two driver's configuration for his preferences.

Steve pulled out into traffic and headed towards the Palace. Azucena interrupted the silence, "So why exactly do you have Danny's car?"

Steve wasn't completely lying, but he wasn't going to out Tommy either. "Okay, I didn't exactly read in your file that you knew about the parole hearing. I might have received a phone call that told me there was a hearing and you were advised of it. I was in the field with the team when the call came through, so I borrowed Danny's car."

He glanced over at her, her eyes closed. He couldn't tell if it was anger or annoyance in her voice, "Who exactly called you?"

"Someone who cares and is really worried about you."

"Tommy or Sam?" she looked at him.

"Does it matter?" he asked.

"Does your team know?" A horrified expression crossed her face as she looked at him.

"No, I just said there was something I had to go take care of." He answered quickly, trying to calm the panic he could see course through her body.

"I'm going to strangle Tommy the next time I see him."

"I didn't say it was Tommy."

"You didn't say it wasn't." She pointed out, "And besides, Sam doesn't know anything about you. Only Tommy, Frog and their folks know about you."

"They could have told Sam about me." He paused, "Or they could have told someone in Silver Pond about me. Small towns have a terrible gossip problem."

"But they didn't." she answered.

"Don't be mad, he is really worried about you." Replied Steve.

"What all did he tell you?" she quizzed him, the irritation in her voice gave way to acceptance.

"He's a really good friend. I'm not certain I would have had the guts to call a complete stranger and tell him how to take care of his own sister." Steve was trying smooth things over, so she didn't actually strangle Tommy the next time she saw him. He assumed that next visit would be at their house and he didn't want to deal with a homicide at their residence.

"Please stop stalling and just tell me what he told you." She said, as internally she was smirking over Steve's manner of covering for Tommy.

Steve caved, he was amazing at keeping classified information classified. However, with all the lies he and his sisters had endured, he couldn't bring himself to lie to Azucena. He exhaled, "He is very worried about you and he knows you aren't sleeping. He said that he knew it took three months for you to tell me about Woods, so he wasn't certain if you were going to tell me about the parole hearing. He said you were beginning to fall apart and he didn't want a repeat of the hospitalizations for exhaustion."

She looked out the window and watched the cars fly by. She understood why he did it and she loved him for it. However, she was still irritated. Her thoughts were interrupted by Steve, his voice soft. "Were you going to tell me about the parole hearing?"

"I hadn't gotten that far." She answered, quietly. "I was still processing the fact that he might be released. I figured Tommy had been through all of this and I just told you about everything yesterday. It didn't exactly seem fair to throw you into the deep end of the pool with a bunch of piranhas."

"I do know how to swim." Steve responded, trying to bring levity to the conversation.

"I am well aware of that and you are a good swimmer." He could hear the smile in her voice. "I would have told you, but I just needed to figure out what I am going to do."

"Do you want to go back and be there?" Steve asked, seriousness in his voice.

"Absolutely not, I want to be as far away from that man as possible." She paused, "But if I don't go, and they release him, what's to stop him from doing this to someone else?"

"You can't own that." He pulled into the parking lot of the palace and slid Danny's car into a parking stall. He turned off the engine and looked at her, "There is a board that makes this decision. They will take your statement into consideration and they will take his words into consideration. They will decide based on that information. If they decide to release him, that decision is theirs to make. Any future actions of his are their responsibility, not yours."

"Sam said that there is a good chance he will get parole because of the state correctional facility budget. I just don't want him to do this to someone else."

"Azucena," Steve looked at her, he could see how genuine she was. He would never wish what happened to her on his worst enemy and he could tell she felt the same way. No one should have to endure what she endured, "you need to do what is right and healthy for you. If that means staying here and writing a letter, there is nothing wrong with that. If that means we fly out there together and you stand up at the parole board and state your opinion, we can do that."

"We?" she questioned, surprise in her voice. She had been surviving on her own since Jack had passed away. She wasn't prepared for the support, but she shouldn't have been surprised.

"Yes, we; I've got your back every step of the way on this." He answered. He would be there for her. Jack and Dean were gone, Tommy and Frog were half way around the world. He was her brother by blood, and he would do anything to protect and support her.


	45. Chapter 45: The Decision

**Trigger Warning – Please be forewarned.**

 **My guest reader asked, why did I pick the name Azucena. My family and I visit Mexico frequently and while we were down there one time, we were eating breakfast, and the woman waiting on our table was named Azucena. I thought it was a beautiful name and fell in love with it. I also want to use it because it will have a meaning later in the story. Thanks for those who continue to read and for your patience with my busy life right now. ~Avy73**

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Steve paced the lobby of the hospital, she had been in with Malia for thirty minutes. He knew whatever they were doing would be helpful for her, but he was nervous. He didn't know if she was going to be an emotional puddle when this was over or if she would bottle everything up.

He had decided to text Tommy and let him know that they were at the hospital and she was speaking to a doctor they both trusted about an anti-anxiety medicine. He had also wanted Tommy to know that he couldn't lie to Azucena and had told her he had received a phone call and she knew Tommy was the one who called. He reassured Tommy that she wasn't angry at him. Steve knew that if he were in Tommy's shoes, he would want to know what was going on.

Tommy had immediately responded to Steve's text:

 _No worries man, it would have really bothered me if you could lie to her. As long as she is healthy and taking care of herself, that's all that matters to me. Thanks for keeping me in the loop._

The first line of the text spoke volumes about the young man that Azucena considered her best friend. He was proud of his sister and the people she surrounded herself with. It wasn't just lip service when he was telling Azucena that he wasn't certain if he would be able to call a random stranger and tell them how to take care of their sister. Tommy had stones, he would give him that much; but he also had compassion for Azucena.

Steve's thoughts and pacing were interrupted when he saw Azucena emerge from the hallway. She looked surprisingly calm and collected. Steve was relieved, "Hey, everything go okay?"

"Yeah, I just need to stop by the pharmacy and fill a prescription."

"We can do that." He said, walking alongside her.

"I have to work at 1 and I know you need to get back to work. After we fill the prescription, you think you could drop me back off on campus? My bike is up there. If not, I can grab the bus from here."

She was being overly accommodating, he assumed she was nervous. Nervous with her background being shared with someone besides the two of them, nervous about taking a medicine that she wasn't certain the reaction of, and nervous of the impending parole hearing. Steve took this opportunity to reassure her that things were okay, "Danny and the team have everything under control. How about we fill your prescription, stop off at Kamekona's for lunch, pick your bike up, and I'll drop you and your bike off at work? That sound okay?"

She knew what he was doing and she was grateful for it. She smiled in return, "Thanks Steve."

"Anytime kiddo."

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 _She locked the backdoor of the diner after James exited. As she walked through the kitchen, she flipped the light switches off as she had done every other night. She entered the front of the diner and turned off the light over the soda fountain and then she walked to the front door. She pulled her keys out, flipped off the final light switch, opened the door, and locked it. She turned right and headed towards home._

 _It was cold, the snowflakes were thick and heavy. She zipped up the front of her sweatshirt and pulled her stocking cap lower to cover her ears. The night was still and quiet, the only thing that could be heard was the beat of the music coming from the tavern; she could hear Garth Brooks blaring from the jukebox._

 _The cold motivated her to walk as quickly as possible through the freshly fallen snow. As she passed the hardware store Garth's voice became louder. Suddenly she was being pulled back into the alley between the tavern and the hardware store, an arm was cinched around her waist and a hand clamped over her mouth. She could smell the musky scent, her heart raced, and she clawed at the hands as they continued to tighten around her. She tried to yell, but the hand covering her mouth was so tight. Then she heard a whisper, "Don't make a sound, or I will kill you."_

 _She landed on the ground, her head smacking the wheel on the trash bin. She was dazed, but she could feel the weight of his body on her chest, it was difficult to breath. Her arms were pinned above her head and she could feel the edge of the knife against her throat, "NO!"_

Her screams tore her from the nightmare. She pitched forward in bed, tears streamed down her cheeks, she couldn't catch her breath because she could still feel the knife against her neck and the granite-like grasp of his hands wrapped around her wrists.

Steve burst into the room and flipped on the light, to find her wheezing. Her breathing was out of control and the tears streaked down her cheeks. He sat down on the edge of her bed and cradled her face in his hands, "'Cena, look at me. Take a deep breath."

She continued to cradle her wrists as she tried to mimic his breathing. She fought against the panic coursing through her body. He maintained eye contact with her, "That's right, deep breaths. You've got this."

It took another minute or two until her breathing was back to a regulated state. He wasn't surprised when she threw herself into his chest, he just held her and rubbed her back while she got everything out of her system. He could feel the sobs shaking her body, as the terror came out in her words, "I can't do it Steve! I can't go back there and see him. That dream was too real, I could feel him crushing my chest and squeezing my wrists. I can't be in the same room with him."

"Sh, sh, sh, it's okay. You don't have to go back. You don't have to be anywhere near him. We will stay here." He said, running his hands through her hair. "Just breath, it's going to be okay. Deep breaths."

He held her until she managed to collect herself. She eventually withdrew from his arms and wiped at her face, "I'm sorry I woke you up. I was hoping we would get through this night without this happening."

Steve pushed stray hairs out of her face, "On the upside, you woke yourself up. You didn't wake up to me all up in your face."

She laughed, "That was a change of pace, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I think your handling it better."

"Malia said it would take a few days for the medicine to get in my system completely." She offered.

"No worries, we'll be patient." He responded.

She glanced at the clock, it was 1:30 in the morning and her body was still running on the adrenaline. There wasn't a chance she was going to fall asleep again for a while, so she thought she would make the most of it. She stood up from the bed, "I'm not going to be able to sleep for a while, but you should go back to bed. You have work and I don't have class until late."

"You going to stay up and watch TV?" Steve asked, surprised as she wasn't a television person.

"Nah, I'm going to sit at the table and write my letter to the parole board." She answered, as she pulled her hair up off her shoulders.

"You sure you want to do that?"

"Yeah, if I can get it off of my chest now, I should be able to fall back asleep after that." She said, as they walked into the hallway.

"You want me to stay up?" he asked.

"No, I've taken up most of your day and now part of your sleep, go back to bed. I'll be just fine."

"Okay, but wake me up if you need something."

"I will." She answered as she quietly descended the stairs.

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Steve awoke at 3:00, he heard Azucena quietly padding down the hallway to her bedroom. He didn't say anything, but he heard her crawl into bed and pull up her covers. He was surprised, he didn't hear her shut her door.

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He pulled on his swim trunks and walked into the hallway, he could see her bedroom door was still open. He peered into the room and saw her passed out asleep. Her red hair scattered across her pillow case, one leg draped on top of the blanket, and her mouth wide open; he realized in that moment she was truly relaxed in the house.

As he walked through the kitchen he found an envelope on the island with a post it note stuck to it.

 _Steve,_

 _Would you post this one your way into work this morning? I appreciate everything you have done, and I'm truly blessed to have you._

 _Love ya,  
'Cena_

He read the address on the envelope, Sam Lorenzo. It was her letter for the parole hearing, she trusted Sam would take care of it. He just prayed the system worked in her favor.


	46. Chapter 46: Sledding and Mumblety Peg

**This chapter is fluffy, but sometimes I need a break from the intense and have a few chuckles. Thanks for bearing with me through all the ups and downs.**

 **KiwiKaren – Your note yesterday just made me smile and laugh. I loved your description and I can completely understand it. There are a few stories that make me feel the same way. ~Avy73**

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Life seemed to fall slowly back into place after Azucena had made her decision about the parole hearing. The medicine Malia prescribed required a few tweaks, but it helped ease the anxiety of everything she was facing. Steve kept his eye closely on his sister and took Tommy's words to heart. He ran with her in the mornings and had her dial back her runs on days that she had dance class. The nightmares were few and far between.

Life was nicely falling back into a rhythm that was healthy and as laid back as it could be for a busy student and an officer of the law. Three days before the parole hearing, Azucena and Steve were in the backyard sparring when her phone rang, they paused their activity; it was Tommy.

"Tommy!" Azucena said with excitement as she answered the phone.

"What's going, Red?" he asked, as she walked down to the water and sat in one of the chairs. Steve walked into the house and grabbed bottles of water for the two of them, allowing her privacy. He knew what this call was about and he was happy for what she was about to find out.

"I'm good, how about you?"

"I'm better now." He answered, she could hear the smile in his voice through the phone line. "Frog and I have some R&R coming up and we discovered that the Dropkick Murphys are playing at Oahu Stadium in about three weeks."

"Are you guys coming to town?" she squealed in excitement.

"We scored three tickets and were planning on coming for about four days."

"Yes! We haven't seen them in years and I get to see you guys too! So excited!" she answered, genuine excitement in her voice. "But I gotta make sure Steve is okay if you guys stay here. I'm sure he won't mind."

"Sounds good, just text one of us the response. If not, we can find a hotel room. I gotta go, have a meeting I have to get to. Catch up soon; miss you Red." Tommy had already cleared it with Steve. They were considering making it a surprise; but thought it might give her something to look forward to, if the parole hearing didn't turn out the way it should.

"Miss you Tommy. See you soon!" she responded, she was so happy her heart could beat out of her chest. There was definitely a glow that radiated from her and Steve could see it the instant she walked up the beach towards the lanai.

"How's Tommy?" he asked, as she sat down and took a pull from the bottle of water.

"He's good. Him and Frog are going to come to the islands for a few days in about three weeks. Would it be okay if they crashed here?"

"Of course, it's your house too." He answered smiling, he was pleased to see she didn't hesitate to ask him if her friends could stay at their house. She truly was comfortable with him and their house.

"They got tickets for us to see the Dropkick Murphys; I'm so excited." She squeaked.

"Who are the Dropkick Murphys? I've never heard of them before." Questioned Steve. Azucena's eyes grew in disbelief, "Think The Ramones, with bagpipes."

Steve couldn't wrap his head around that description, it didn't really sound like the two things went together. He watched her, as she strolled down memory lane, "The last time we saw them, they played Denver and Dean's mom drove us out there. All four of us, we were fourteen. She dropped us off at the concert and then picked us up. We stayed in Denver for the night and drove home the next day. Quite possibly the best concert we've ever been to."

"You guys go to a lot of concerts?" he questioned, even though they had lived together they were still learning about each other.

"There wasn't a lot of live music around Silver Pond. Most of the big shows always played Denver, so if we could get someone's parents to drive us, we would go. We loved Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly was a great show, and the best was Aerosmith. Although George Straight put on a really good show."

"You guys listened to a little bit of everything."

"Yeah, we really aren't picky." She paused and reflected back to life in Silver Pond. "When you grow up in a small town, there isn't a lot to do. So you find things that will keep you out of trouble. Music was good for us, we could listen and dance to it for hours. All the churches in town had a Spring dance and a Fall dance, so we always went to those. Frog can two-step with the best of them and Tommy learned salsa quicker than the other guys.

"The summers we spent fishing and swimming in the rivers and ponds when we weren't helping with harvests. Winters were harder to stay out of trouble, but we managed to only get caught doing stupid things a time or two."

Steve smirked, he could only imagine the trouble the four of them could find and he had to know, "What did you guys get caught doing?"

"Well, there was one time that we decided to take lunch trays from the school cafeteria and use them to go sledding down the big hill outside of town. Which wouldn't be so bad, but at the base of the big hill was a pond, that had managed to ice over pretty well." She paused, redness creeping into her face, "No one fell through the ice, but Frog's mom caught us and she was upset. I'm pretty sure she grounded us all for a week, but I still can't determine if it is because we stole lunch trays from the school or if it was because we were sledding onto the iced over pond. She wasn't real clear and her sentences were all garbled. We were eleven and it seemed like a great idea at the time."

Steve laughed out loud, Azucena would have been a handful growing up and he was certain she would have kept their parents on their toes. He was enjoying her trips down memory lane.

"Another time, we were up in some pasture of Tommy's Granddad's and decided it would be a good idea to play Mumblety-Peg, only his Granddad caught us and that didn't go over well."

"What's Mumblety-Peg?" Steve questioned.

"There's a few variations of the game, but the one we were caught playing involved standing about three feet away from another person and throwing a pocket knife as close to their foot as possible without hitting it."

"Are you kidding me?"

"We were ten when that happened, and we had seen the older boys in town doing it one Saturday night. Needless to say, Dean's pocketknife got taken away for about a month." She paused, and looked at Steve, "You've heard a lot of my adventures, you never talk about your childhood. What was life like here?"

"Well, we weren't nearly as unsupervised as you and your friends were. We did more family activities: spending time on the beach," Steve gestured towards the water, "picnicking at Likeke Falls, hiking to the petroglyphs or Koko Head Stairs."

"So you are telling me you never got in trouble?" she questioned.

"Oh, I didn't say that." He grimaced, "One-time dad and Chin caught me making out with Stacy Perkins under the bleachers after a football game."

"That had to be awkward."

"Yeah, it was." He responded, his cheeks flushing. "She quit coming around the house after that."

"Did you date a lot in high school?"

"There were a few girls, but we were shipped off to the mainland when I was fifteen, and there weren't any girls at the Naval Academy."

"That probably put a damper on your dating life."

"Yeah, it definitely did." He paused, questioning if he should even ask. "What about you?"

"There was one guy, before the incident. He was nice enough, but I think he struggled with the fact that my best friends were guys. It was nice while it lasted, but it didn't last long."

"Dean had a girlfriend, what about Tommy and Frog?"

"Tommy dated Jenny Downs for a while, but it didn't really seem like he was into her. Maybe he was at the beginning, but it all seemed pretty one sided. As for Frog, there wasn't really anyone in town for him; so, we always went to dances together." She paused, remembering back to the dances, "He was such a great dancer, all the girls wanted to dance with him. I loved two-stepping with him."

Steve's phone interrupted their conversation, it was the Governor. Azucena only heard Steve's side of the conversation, but it sounded like high-profile murder had made an evening call. As Steve hung up, he stood from the table and dialed Danny. Azucena offered, "If Danny needs someone to watch Grace tonight, I'm more than happy to."

"I don't think he has her, but I'll let him know." He responded, as he listened to the ringing of the phone.

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March first arrived with little fanfare, Steve had been dreading the day, but he could only imagine how his sister felt. As he cut through the water, he sighted her siting in the chairs on the shoreline. She was dressed in her running clothes, waiting for him to finish his swim.

He had contemplated taking the day off work, but she had told him not to. She was going to go to class and work. Whatever the outcome of the hearing, she would deal with it. She wasn't going to allow it to dictate her life. He could tell she was putting on her brave face, but he understood the philosophy of faking it until you felt it.

After he dried off and slipped on his sneakers, they took off down the driveway. Steve knew she wasn't a morning person, so their conversations for the first mile of the run were always minimal, if anything. This morning was no exception, he could tell she was in her head. He wasn't certain if she was prepping herself for either possibility or if she was still waking up, "Want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly." She answered.

"Is Sam going to call you?"

"Yeah, he said he would after the hearing to let me know the decision."

"Sure you don't want me to take the day off of work?"

"He's caused enough chaos in my life; I don't want to skip class or make you miss work."

"You'll call me and let me know what you find out?"

"Of course." She answered, no hesitation. She trusted him and after everything they had endured in the last few months, she couldn't imagine keeping this from him.

Steve decided to change the subject, "Since tomorrow's Saturday, let's skip the run and I'll introduce you to Koko Head Stairs."

"I don't know what that is, but for some reason it brings to mind images of fish heads." She answered, her honesty and orneriness coming out in full force.

He laughed at her imagination, "Well, it has nothing to do with fish heads, so it won't smell."

"That's a relief, what is it?"

"Nature's stair master." He briefly explained.

"Excuse me?"

"1,048 stairs to the top of an incredible view and Koko Head Gardens."

"That sounds like torture with a view." She paused, never one to back down from a challenge, "I'm in."

"Figured it might interest you."

"Someday soon, I'm going to force you to take me to these petroglyphs."

"Deal." Steve agreed.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

She sat at a table in the library, studying in between lectures. Her phone began to buzz, she looked at the screen and there was Sam's name. She could hear her heart beat in her ears, her hands began to shake, she picked up the phone and answered, "Hey Sam."


	47. Chapter 47: The Parole Board Decision

**Trigger Warning – Please be forewarned.**

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Steve stood in the breakroom as he waited for the coffee to finish brewing. He hadn't slept at all the previous night. He had tried to create various mitigation plans in his head in case Woods was released from prison, but he honestly had no idea what he was going to do.

During their run that morning, he could feel the stress of the situation weighing on Azucena. He could tell how worried she was and he wanted nothing more than for Wood's parole to be denied. However, he knew the chances of parole were 50/50 in this instance.

"You look exhausted." Observed Danny as he walked into the break room. The coffee had finished brewing. Steve removed the pot and poured coffee into Danny's mug and then his own. "Thanks man, you doing okay?"

Steve caved; he had been around Danny too long. Danny loved to talk things out and Steve was more the quiet, introspective type. However, Danny grew up with sisters, so he could probably understand and maybe he had some insight he could share.

The truth of the matter was, Steve needed to get this off his chest and Danny hadn't said anything about their discussion a few weeks back. He knew Danny wouldn't say anything.

"Remember that conversation we had about two weeks ago, about the sealed file?" Steve asked, intentionally leaving out names, as he walked back to his office.

Danny followed him, "Yeah, I remember."

Steve closed the door behind him, "There's a parole hearing today."

"I'm confused, depending on her age when it happened, it should be a 5 to 25-year prison sentence." Danny said, explaining it more to himself. Maybe he hadn't completely understood what Steve had told him without really telling him.

"He was originally sentenced to five years. However, about two weeks ago she found out he came up for parole."

"The day you stole my car." Observed Danny, good naturedly teasing Steve.

"Stole is such a strong word, Daniel." Responded Steve, trying to appreciate the small attempt at humor. "I borrowed your car and I would like to point out that she helped me get it back to you quicker than I would have."

"What a relief." Deadpanned Danny, "Anyways, the parole hearing is today?"

"Yeah, you and I both know it could go either way. I just don't know what to do if it goes the wrong way."

"You do the same thing you did when you found out about everything else. You help her pick up the pieces."

"I don't know how to do that Danny. We help victims of crimes every day, but at the end of the day they go home and are the ones who have to live their lives."

"Which is exactly what she will have to do. If his parole gets denied, her life will go back to normal. If it gets approved, she's going to need her big brother to help her pick up the pieces."

"I want to fix it." Said Steve, as he sat down behind his desk and ran his hands over his face.

Danny knew that feeling. He felt it for Stella and Bridget when they got dumped by boyfriends, he felt it for Grace anytime something went wrong in her world. "You can't live her life for her and you can't fix it, as much as you want to. The only thing you can do is hold her hand and help her through the tough times. Believe me, she's just going to be thankful to have you if this goes south."

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"Hey Sam." Azucena said, she could barely hear her voice over the sound of her heart thumping in her ears. She was dreading this phone call and she silently prayed that Sam had the news she desperately wanted to hear.

"Azucena, the parole board met today. I read your letter and Frank Woods pled his case for parole to the board." He paused, it seemed like eternity to her, "Unfortunately, the board decided to grant him parole."

The world stopped, her stomach dropped, and she could feel the horror of that night wash over her. She went back to being the sixteen-year-old, pinned to the ground with a knife to her throat. The terror paralyzing her. She could feel the freezing, wet snow seep into her clothes, and the gravel and loose rocks dig into her skin.

"Azucena, are you there?" She heard Sam's voice through the phone. It took her a minute to find her voice and when she did, there was a slight stutter, "Ssssorry Sam, I'm here. I heard what you said."

"You need anything?" The older man asked. She needed to go back in time and never take that walk home. She needed to change the course of history. She needed that man to rot in prison. She wished she could do any of those things. Then the shock finally hit her, her stomach started to churn. She quickly gathered her books and shoved them in her backpack, "No, thanks Sam."

She felt rude; but she hit disconnect, grabbing her bag with one hand, and she ran to the restroom. She wasn't certain if she would make it in time, but the first stall was empty, and she managed to reach it before her stomach contents appeared. As she retched into the toilet, she could feel the tears start to stream down her cheeks.

She knelt on the bathroom floor and silently cried as she relived the horror of that night. The agony and shame of what he had done to her creeped over her person; filling every crevice of her being. As she knelt there on the bathroom floor, she knew deep down, he would do the same thing to someone else. There was another young woman out there that would be in the wrong place at the wrong time and she would be violated in the same gruesome manner and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She retched again, until there was nothing left in her stomach.

The shock gave way to numbness as she collected herself and her belongings. Standing at the sink, she wet a paper towel with cold water and blotted her splotchy face. This feeling would be the new normal; the fear that another predator roamed freely. It made her throat tighten and her anxiety climb fifty notches. Now WoFat and Woods would wander freely not only in her nightmares, but in real life. The need to look over her shoulder intensified.

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Steve, Danny, Chin and Kono all stood at the Smart Table as Chin walked them through the financial evidence against their suspect. As he highlighted the various deposits to the account, Steve's phone rang. He looked at the screen and saw Azucena's name.

He quickly walked to his office, closed the door, and accepted the call, "Azucena?"

"He got parole." Her voice was so soft and fragile, he almost didn't hear her.

"What?" he exclaimed, he knew this was a possibility. Especially since Sam had forewarned her about the state budget, but he hadn't expected it.

"Where are you?" he asked, as he grabbed his keys from his desk.

"No Steve, don't let him affect your day. You need to work, and I have class. We can talk about it tonight."

"You don't sound okay."

"I'll be fine." She responded, trying to keep on the brave face she had plastered on earlier that morning.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, we can discuss everything tonight."

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She disconnected the call and then she unlocked the house. She set her keys and cell phone on the sidebar in the living room and placed her backpack on the floor.

She climbed the stairs to the bathroom and ran the water in the shower until it warmed up. As she peeled off her clothes, it was as if the bruises and cuts from that night three years ago appeared on her skin. She could smell the musky scent of Woods, and she felt just as dirty now as she did that night.

She stood under the spray of the water and scrubbed her skin with soap and water as hot as she could stand. She didn't know how long she stood in the shower, letting all the bad memories wash down the drain, but the water was cold when she finally turned off the spigot.

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Steve looked down at the phone, he was conflicted. Did he stay at work and they would discuss it this evening or did he go find her on campus and check on her? He wanted to respect her space, but he also knew that this could send her into a tailspin. She had sounded broken on the phone.

He looked out the window of his office to his people, Kono and Chin were focused on the screen, but Danny stared at him through the glass. He could see the question in his face; Steve nodded his head yes. Danny didn't even hesitate; his thumb flew through the air towards the door like an umpire telling a batter he was out.

Steve clipped his phone back on his belt, grab his keys, and left the office. When he got to his truck, he typed her cell number into the tracking app to determine where he would find her on campus. He was surprised when her blinking dot appeared at the house. He thought back to her brave face earlier that morning and realized he should haven't have been surprised.

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He spotted her sitting in the chairs by the beach. Sitting was a loose term, more like perched with her legs curled up under her. She looked tiny in the chair and he knew it was intentional. She was trying to be small.

He shuffled his feet as he walked down to the beach, so as not to startle her. He sat down in the chair next to her, his voice sounded old, even to him, "Hey kiddo."

He took in the sight of her. Her hair was wet, she wore the long cotton pants she had worn home from the hospital the first day she came to the house. She also had the light weight jacket on over a tank top. He could see the redness of her skin near her wrists and neck. He put two and two together, she scrubbed the memory of him off her skin. He had seen this before in rape victims; Tommy had been right, it was like Woods had violated her all over again.

"Hey." She responded, her eyes never leaving the water.

"You call Tommy yet?" asked Steve.

"No." she answered softly, he could hear the fatigue in her voice. He was also slightly surprised, she confided everything in Tommy and now she hadn't called him.

"Couldn't do class?"

"I wouldn't have paid attention anyways." She observed.

"Want to talk about it?" He knew it was a loaded question, but he patiently waited. He would listen to her if she wanted to talk about it, but he also understood if she just wasn't up for it.

"He's gonna do it again." He could hear the tears she was holding back, but he could also hear how shattered she was. The fear in her voice was tangible. "Some girl is going to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and he's going to do to her what he did to me and it just makes me sick."

He didn't have anything to add, she wasn't wrong. Steve liked to believe people were genuinely good and could change, but he had seen so much in his life as a SEAL and as Five-0 to know that she wasn't wrong. A leopard doesn't change its spots.

She closed her eyes, "I don't understand how that board can't see that."

"I don't think they made a decision based on his behavior; I think they based their decision on finances and that is something you can't own."

"That's revolting." She looked at him, he could see the sadness and disgust in her face.

"I don't disagree."

"How do they sleep at night, knowing they are letting predators loose?"

"That's between them and their God." Observed Steve, looking out at the water. This was something he thought about when he put people in prison. Could they really be reformed? Were they just evil or was there a chance they could change?

"Well, God and I aren't really on speaking terms at the moment." He could hear the anger in her voice. He couldn't blame her. If he was being honest, he had rage coursing through his body, but he couldn't let her know, "That's fair, you can be as angry as you want to be."

"I can't figure out if I want to run until my legs fall off, if I want to hit someone, or if I just want to curl up under a blanket and shut out the world."

"Those are all acceptable options, but how about we hike out to Waimano Falls?" he offered, hoping to take her mind off everything. "We can pack up a lunch, burn off some energy, jump off into the pools, and escape for a few hours?"

"Is it like Likeke Falls?" she asked, he could almost hear a slight hint of hope in her voice.

"Yeah, it's similar. The hike is shorter, but the jumping cliffs are just as high."

"Today could be a good day for cliff jumping."


	48. Chapter 48: Finding Normalcy

**Possible Trigger Warning – Please be forewarned.**

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She mulled over the idea of the falls and then thought about the logistics of the situation. There were bound to be people at the falls and she would be in her swimsuit. Her swimsuits covered more than most people's, but it was too much right now. People would see her, and she knew the looks she got when she was fully clothed.

She wasn't trying to be arrogant when she thought about it, but it wasn't lost on her that her red hair attracted quite a bit of attention. The work she put into dancing and running shaped her body into something she was proud of, but it was also something men stared at when she was fully clothed. A swimsuit would just make it worse. No, swimming holes were off the table for a little while, at least until she didn't squirm when people looked at her.

"I can't do the Falls today, I'm sorry." She paused, and then felt compelled to explain herself. "It's just that there are going to be people there and this is going to sound so arrogant when I say it, but the men will look and I just can't handle that today."

Steve had been surprised by her sudden change in decision, but when she explained her reasoning, he completely understood. It took him back to the day they walked down the street in Lawrence and how even fully clothed, men leered at her. He had seen it here in Hawaii as well, but he had never thought about how it might have made her uncomfortable, until now.

"I didn't even think about that, I'm sorry." He responded, feeling like a heel in this situation. Everything in Hawaii involved the water, so it was second nature to him to be in your swimsuit. He hadn't thought about how that would impact her and their activities.

"Don't worry about it." She said, as she uncurled her legs from underneath herself. She stood up and stretched, staring out at the water. "You should go back to work, I'm going to be terribly boring today and just go for a run. I'm thinking that will get everything off my mind and exorcise this dread sitting on my chest."

"You want company?" offered Steve, he was conflicted. He wanted to give her space if that's what she truly wanted, but he also wanted to be the supportive big brother.

"I'll be running angry, I don't think you'll want to join me." She shared, it was her polite way of saying she was going to run with everything in her, she wasn't slowing down for anything or anyone. She also just wanted to be alone. Telling Steve was hard enough, she hadn't figured out how she was going to share the news with Tommy.

"I'm going to respect your decision, but if you need anything, you call me." Steve said as he followed her up to the lanai.

"I will." She answered, as she continued to avoid eye contact.

"Do me a favor?" Steve requested, he had caught up to her and was walking alongside her. "Text me when you get home from your run?"

"I can do that." She said, as they reached the lanai. She stopped and reached out to Steve, placing her hand on his arm. He was surprised she touched him.

She slowly looked up at him, "Thanks for checking on me and being there through all of this. This sucks and it's going to take a few days for me to process everything and get my life back to normal, but thanks for being there. I appreciate it."

He placed is other hand on top of hers, "You focus on you and I'll do anything I can to help you, got that?"

"Got it." She said, and he squeezed her hand.

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The run had helped exhaust her and as she walked through the front door of the house, she debated either taking a shower or calling Tommy. She owed him a phone call, but for some reason, she was dreading it. She knew how upset she had been when Sam had called; she knew Tommy would be angry. He was allowed to be angry, she could tell Steve was; but she was barely holding herself together. She wasn't certain she would be able to handle all her emotions and Tommy's.

Friendship won out over the shower. She moseyed down to the chairs and dialed Tommy's number. She figured he wouldn't have much time to talk, but she wanted to let him know. She was surprised by how quickly he answered, "Hey."

"Hey yourself." She answered back.

"How did it go today?"

"They granted him parole." She answered, working to keep her voice on an even pitch.

"What?" the volume of his voice climbed as he said the word, "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." She said.

"Want to tell me the truth now?" he asked, knowing she wasn't fine. He could hear the shaking of her voice.

"I'm pissed, tired, sad, embarrassed, scared. Take your pick. Too many emotions."

"Steve know?"

"Yeah, I told him earlier." She answered, then she began to rattle. "He wants to help and make this go away. I can tell he is so mad he can't see straight, but he is keeping a calm demeanor."

"What are you going to do?"

"Not much I can do but get over it and move on. Easier said than done, but I'm working on it." She answered honestly. There wasn't a chance the parole board was going to change their mind.

During her run she mentally lectured herself that this was the fate that had been handed down. There was no use crying about it. She was just going to have to suck it up and move on. She worked to reminder herself that he was back in Kansas. She was half a continent and an ocean away. He didn't know where she was and even if he did, she lived with a SEAL. It didn't get much safer than this.

"Anything I can do to help?" asked Tommy.

"Just get your rear out here in three weeks." She answered, honesty rushing over her, "I'm pretty certain that is what's going to pull me through the next few days. I miss you and Frog."

"Miss you too Red."

"I know you are at work, so I won't keep you."

"Sounds good, I'll call you on my day off, but if you need anything before then –"

"I promise to call." She said, before he could finish.

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Steve was unsure of what he would be walking into when he approached the house. He took a deep breath as he unlocked the front door and heard the beep of the security system informing him he had 45 seconds to enter the security code. This told him all he needed to know, she was still unnerved by the whole situation.

He punched in the security code and took a deep breath of the aroma wafting out of the kitchen. He was starving, so most things sounded good. He couldn't identify the smell, but he was certain dinner was going to be delicious. He sat his gun and badge on the sidebar and walked into the kitchen. He could see Azucena sitting at the island, headphones on, scribbling away on paper with a textbook open in front of her.

He opened the fridge and pulled out a Longboard. She hit pause on her Ipod, "Dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes."

"What'd you make?"

"Stuffed peppers, hope that's okay."

"If someone else is cooking, I'm not going to complain." He responded and leaned back against the counter. "They also smell really good."

"Thanks." She smiled, he could see it was genuine. It didn't reach her full face, but it was better than earlier today. At least now she could look him in the eye and her voice didn't sound like she was holding back tears.

"How you doing?" he asked, as he took a swig from his beer.

"I'm fine, he's an ocean and half a continent away and I live with a SEAL. I don't think it gets safer than that." Steve smirked at her thinking, but she wasn't wrong. She was trying to find the positive in this situation, not that there was one in his mind's eye. He knew she wasn't fine, but he understood she was trying to find normalcy. He wasn't going to push.

"How far did you run?"

"Ten."

"What were your splits?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. He was wondering if he would have been able to keep up with her while she ran angry.

"5:57."

"Well, you would have left me in the dust." He chuckled, he never would have kept up with her for ten miles. "Good thing you didn't want company."

"Sorry about that." She had known he wanted to help her in anyway possible, but she just didn't want to be around people earlier.

"No need to apologize, sometimes you just want to get out there and grind it out. I do the same thing."

"It helps to put things in perspective."

"Feel any better?"

"I'm still pissed off about it. If I continue to focus on it, it will just eat away at me." She tapped her pencil against her notepad. "I'm not going to get over this blow overnight, but I'm not going to let it pull me back into that night all over again. He doesn't get to have that power over me."

"Smart girl." He answered.

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That night was a rough one, nightmares plagued her dreams, but she only woke herself once. She didn't scream out and she wasn't trapped in the night terror. She calmed herself, closed her eyes and counted her breaths until she fell back asleep. She wasn't going to allow him to take over any more of her life than he already had.

Their lives slowly fell back into the usual rhythm. It took a few days for Azucena to find her footing and regain the confidence Steve had seen in her, but eventually she did. He was proud of her and he knew the work and energy it took to deal with the issues she faced. It was two weeks before she would swim at the beach in their backyard with their friends. Steve knew that took more courage than she was willing to admit.

All in all, she fought back against the terror, shame, and agony that had overtaken her person the day she received that phone call. She worked hard to find the normalcy she was used to, and she fought tooth and nail for it. Steve was reminded his sister was one hell of a survivor.


	49. Chapter 49: Bonfires, Stars, and Snakes

**I've been debating about how to start this next phase of this story and a guest left a note today that helped me set up this next chapter perfectly. So guest reader, thank you for your help. For all those who continue to read, thank you so much! ~Avy73**

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Azucena texted Steve that she was at the Palace; as she waited for him to meet her at the truck, she put her bike in the truckbed and secured it in place with her bike chain. As she sat waiting on the tailgate, it brought back memories of Silver Pond and the field parties they all enjoyed. In her world, there was nothing like sitting around a bonfire on haybales, the smell of smoke creeping into your clothes and hair, while you cooked hot dogs on a stick and sipped soda, and sometimes something extra, from a cup from the local gas station.

She remembered the bonfire the night they graduated, it had been on Jimmy Babcock's property. It had been the three of them, along with about fifteen other classmates. Azucena liked most of them, but there were a handful she could have done without. Someone had brought a portable speaker with their iPod out to the field and the volume was enough for a dance party. A handful of people were chugging down beers between bumping and grinding in the headlights of Jason Anderson's truck.

Azucena sat on a haybale by the fire watching the flames dance, Tommy to her left and Izzy Jacob's on her right. Izzy had been prattling on about how she was going to miss everybody and it was driving Azucena crazy. Tommy had picked up on her irritation and stood up, holding his hand out for her's "Red, I want to show you something."

She knew what he was thinking, and she took his hand, stood up, and followed him over to his pick-up truck. He pulled two sleeping bags out of the cab of the truck and she grabbed the pillows and spare blankets they had tucked into the cab. Tommy opened the two sleeping bags and laid them on top of each other, the soft insides open to them. He climbed into the bed of the truck, took his shoes off, and she handed him the two pillows.

After he situated the pillows, she handed him the blankets and he set them to the side as she sat on the tailgate of the truck and removed her shoes, turning them laces side down. Then she shimmied up the truckbed next to him. He lay down on the sleeping bags and she followed suit, laying right next to him. She reached out for his hand and there they lay, holding hands staring up at the stars. They were quiet for a few moments, when Azucena finally spoke, "I don't think I'll ever get tired of looking at the stars."

"Me either."

"You remember the first time Clara let us sleep on that old tarp in our sleeping bags in the backyard?"

"Yeah." He answered, he knew what was coming. Whenever she thought back to this old memory he was always amazed. He had to remind himself that she had been from the city prior to coming to Silver Pond. He loved the awe in her voice when she said it.

"I never knew there were so many stars in the sky. I had never noticed them until that night." She said, her voice soft with nostalgia.

"City girl." He teased her.

"Country boy." She tossed back at him, a giggle in her voice. She loved being with Tommy and as of late she had noticed how much her feelings for him had changed. She didn't just look at him as the best friend she had had since she was eight years old. She noticed how beautiful his smile was, how his shaggy hair fell into his eyes at just the right angle he had to shake his head to see, or how chiseled his muscles were when he was swinging from the rope swing into Poe's Creek.

These observations were more than friendly, but she refused to act on them. She didn't want to mess up their friendship and he would be leaving for the military at the end of summer. She knew she wouldn't see him again for another six years, so there was no point in making things more complicated. As these thoughts danced through her head, she scooted closer to him on the sleeping bags. He lifted his arm and she placed her head against his chest, she fit perfectly; she listened to the sound of his heart beating in his chest. As he ran his fingers through her hair, he asked, "Cold?"

"Nah, I'm good. You?"

"Perfect." He responded, knowing all was right in his world when she was in his arms. He had been in love with her since they were ten years old, but he had never told her. He had gotten close to telling her, but then the incident happened, and it didn't seem appropriate to confess his love for her after that. So he continued to be her best friend and cherished every moment with her.

He loved the sound of her laugh and the way her eyes lit up when a song came on the radio that made her want to dance. After everything she had been through in her life, she was still a happy, positive force of nature. However, it was moments like this that he seared into his brain because he knew things were changing and he wouldn't see her for a long time.

They stared at the stars until their eyelids became heavy, and she fell asleep. She didn't remember him placing the blanket over them or feel the soft kiss on the top of her head that he placed there after she fell asleep. She remembered waking up a few hours later to Frog closing the door of the truck, tossing his pillow into the truckbed next to her, and him falling asleep next to them.

She remembered waking up the next morning to Frog's elbow digging into her back, and the sound of Jenny Down's screaming as she found a snake curled up in her sneaker. She remembered their blankets wet with dew, and the three of them leaning up against the cab of the truck as they watched the sun finish climbing over the horizon and Jason Anderson deal with the snake from Jenny's shoe.

Azucena was pulled from her memory by Steve's voice, "Ready to go kiddo?"

She watched Steve walk towards her as she jumped down from the tailgate and locked it into place, "Heck yeah!"


	50. Chapter 50: Peas and Carrots

**First of all, thank you to all those who continue to read, I appreciate the fact that you still find this interesting. For all my readers who leave notes, I love each and every one! Elle, I love your ideas and your enthusiasm! Shamrocker1980, Stephanie, Elle, and my Guest note leaver, your words are always appreciated and so uplifting. Thank you all so much! ~ Avy73**

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Steve exited the Palace and headed for his truck to meet Azucena. As he approached the truck, he could tell his sister was lost in thought, "Ready to go kiddo?"

She jumped down from the tailgate and locked it into place, "Heck yeah!"

She walked around to the passenger side of the truck and climbed in. He could tell she was excited to see her friends, and the happiness that exuded from her was palpable. Steve had to admit to himself that he was a little excited to meet Frog and Tommy. They had been such a big part of her life from the stories he had heard.

As it was early afternoon, they maneuvered city traffic with ease and managed to make it to the airport with ten minutes to spare before the guy's flight landed. As they walked to the luggage claim, Steve noticed Azucena could hardly contain her excitement. He had only seen his sister this excited one other time, and that was when she was introducing him to Lawrence. It was the closest thing she had to home to share with him, and he knew that her friends represented home as well. She was doing a great job of adjusting to life in Hawaii, but he knew that Silver Pond and its people were home for her.

Steve noticed Frog and Tommy the minute they stepped into view, as they carried themselves like every other military guy he knew; strong and aware. He watched as his sister launched herself into the arms of an extremely tall and muscular brown-haired guy. He was able to discern that this guy was Frog, as he had on a pair of military issued glasses. Frog wrapped his arms around Azucena and pulled her into a bear hug, lifting her off her feet. "Red, it's so good to see you."

He could hear his sister squeal with delight, and he watched as people observed the spectacle of the two of them. Two friends reunited after a long time from one another. "Frog!"

When the young man finally placed his sister back on the ground and released her, she immediately looked over to the other young man. Tommy was a few inches shorter than Frog and lankier. Where Frog was all muscle and bulk, Tommy was trim and lean.

He watched as Azucena wrapped her arms around Tommy's neck and held onto him, Tommy's arms wrapping around her waist. She had to stretch slightly to allow her chin to rest on his shoulder. He could see Tommy's lips moving, but he couldn't make out what was being said. However, he did note that she stayed wrapped up in Tommy's arms longer than Frog's. He chalked it up to missing her best friend.

He continued to watch from a distance until Azucena and the two young men walked towards him. Azucena took the time to introduce them to Steve, "Frog, Tommy" she gestured to each of them, "I would like for you to meet my brother, Commander Steve McGarrett."

The guys immediately fell into attention and although Steve appreciated the respect shown by her friends, he quickly responded, "At ease, gentlemen."

The guys resume their normal posture and Steve held out his hand for Frog first, "It's nice to meet the both of you. I've heard quite a lot about you both."

"It's nice to meet you, sir." Answered Frog, as he shook Steve's hand. "Red's talked you up quite a bit as well."

"It's nice to put a face with a voice. Thank you." Said Steve, as he held out his hand to Tommy. He was trying to be subtle without making too big of a deal regarding the assist from this young man. He didn't want to embarrass him.

"Red's really fortunate to have you." Responded Tommy, as he shook Steve's hand. Steve took the compliment that was offered, and Azucena spoke up, observing the fact that they both had backpack's on. "Did you check luggage?"

"Nah, too much of a hassle. We packed light." Answered Frog, gesturing to his overstuffed backpack with a grin on his face.

"Great, let's go." She said, as she laced an arm around each one of their arms. The four of them walked to the parking lot and loaded into the pickup truck.

As Steve drove them towards the house, he watched Frog and Tommy's reactions to the island in the rear-view mirror. It reminded him of the day he drove Azucena to the house for the first time. Her reaction to seeing a coconut tree in real life amused him. As the four of them talked, he would occasionally see one of the guys jab the other guy in the arm and point to something outside the truck. They were taken with his island, just as Azucena had been.

"Azucena says you both are Marines."

"Yeah, I'm more IT and Tommy is in logistics." Offered Frog. Steve understood that Frog was sharing as much as he could. There were aspects of the military that most civilians didn't understand, but other service members understood that sometimes you could only give the bare minimum."

"Camp Lester?" questioned Steve.

"Yeah, it's incredibly beautiful over there." Tommy shared. The rest of the ride to the house was filled with small talk.

As they all piled out of the truck, Frog was the first to speak up. As a kid growing up in the middle of corn and wheat fields, the lush greenery of Hawaii was something to be in awe of, "You grew up here?"

"Yeah, this house has been in my family for generations." Explained Steve, both of the young men had the same expression on their faces that Azucena had when he first brought her home. Wonderment.

"You think this is breathtaking, wait until you see the backyard." Shared Azcuena, as they made their way up to the front door. Once the front door was open, she practically dragged Frog and Tommy to the backyard, when they stepped out on the lanai Tommy's jaw dropped, but Frog was more vocal, "Sweet Jesus, you have the ocean in your backyard?"

"Yeah, wanna swim?" quizzed Azucena, pure joy on her face.

"Oh, hell yeah." Answered Frog, looking over to Azucena.

Tommy who had been quiet up to this point spoke up, "Red, your original text might have been wrong. This is more beautiful than Cripple Creek near the low water bridge."

"They both have their strong attributes." She responded to his observation. He wasn't wrong, but she had so many wonderful memories of the low water bridge that she just couldn't say which was more beautiful. "Come on, let's change so we can swim."

She showed them to the two guest rooms on the ground floor of the house, and then ran upstairs to change. Steve disappeared to take a phone call from Danny and then found ways to make himself busy. He wanted to give her some time with her friends. He had the next three days to get to know these guys.

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As Azucena changed into her blue and white checkered swimsuit, she felt a wave of butterflies in her stomach. She had grown up with these two guys and suddenly, she was nervous to be seen in her swimsuit with Tommy. She wasn't certain where this unexpected concern had come from, but she wanted him to think she looked beautiful. Perhaps it was the old memory from earlier in the day that had stirred up the warm feelings; it could have been the sound of his voice in her ear telling her how much he missed her at the airport, or it could have been the way he smelled. His smell always reminded her of prairie sunset and fireflies. She pushed all these thoughts aside and decided it was best to just look forward to the afternoon with her friends.

Frog and Tommy stood at the edge of the water, looking out. As Azucena approached, she couldn't help but to appreciate the view of Tommy's broad shoulders and his tight rear. His swim trunks hung low on his hips and laid nicely against his backside. She knew the view from the front with his abs was even better but decided she should stop checking him out and engage with her buddies.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked, as she placed the towels on the chairs by the beach.

"We were waiting for you." Tommy responded, as Frog picked her up by the waist, threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and started walking into the water. Azucena had forgotten about this part of her childhood, she also assumed that she was too big to be picked up, but Frog made it all look simple. "Frog, you weasel! Put me down! You throw me in the water and I swear to God I'll drown you!"

He knew they were empty threats, as did she, but it didn't stop them from reverting back to being kids. In between various sentences being shouted at him, Frog tossed Azucena into the deeper water of the ocean and waited for her to resurface. When she did, she was a ball of red fury. She came at him with everything she had, and in between climbing up his back and pushing down on his shoulders as much as she could, there wasn't a chance she was going to drown him. He had grown stronger over the last eight months and she was like a fly to a horse. Nothing she did phased him, she was a minor nuisance.

The moment Tommy teamed up with her, they had the advantage. Tommy attacked him at his knees and Azucena climbed up his back and worked to push him under water. They were successful in dunking him a time or two before he surfaced and came after the both of them.

Steve had observed this entire scene from the kitchen window and was laughing to himself. The three of them together provided quality entertainment and he could see the bond of friendship that connected them. He watched them goof around for a little while longer before he found something else to do.

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They spent the afternoon soaking in the ocean, enjoying being back together. Azucena recounted the entire WoFat experience from the night they grab her all they way up until Steve drove her here after the hospital. She explained how it was they had the same mother and she told them about Deb and Mary. Tommy had heard most of this as it occurred, but Frog hadn't been as informed as Tommy.

Tommy and Frog shared as much as they could about their lives and how they spent their days, where they lived, and their coworkers. After living with Steve, she understood that there was a lot they couldn't share with her and that was fine by her. She didn't really want to hear how dangerous their jobs could be.

Eventually Frog decided he needed a little a break from the ocean and ambled out of the water. He sat in one of the chairs on the beach and just took in the sun. Tommy and Azucena continued to goof around in the water.

Steve ambled down to the beach and sat in the chair next to Frog, "You guys hungry yet?"

"A bit peckish, but I'm content to wait for those two yayhoos to determine they are pruny enough to get out of the water." Frog shared, as he gestured to the two still in the water. "Tommy and I are more than happy to help with preparing dinner."

"Maybe tomorrow night you guys can help cook, take tonight and enjoy your R&R." said Steve, as he watched Azcuena climb onto Tommy's shoulders. He was a little concerned as he watched his sister place her hands into Tommy's and then lift her body like a gymnast on the rings. "What are they doing?"

"Stupid stuff we've done since we were eight." Replied Frog, watching as she began to extend her legs up over her head. "She will hold herself in a handstand position on his hands and lower herself back down; sometimes they try the lift from _Dirty Dancing_ and other times he flips her into the air and she does a backflip into the water. For two people who can't figure each other out, they trust the hell out of each other."

Steve paid attention to the words Frog used, "What do you mean, they can't figure each other out?"

"Tommy's been in love with Red since we were ten years old." Frog explained, as he used his hands to elaborate. Steve felt like he was talking to a younger, Mid-West version of Danny. "He debated off and on over the years to say something to her, but he never wanted the friendship to get messed up. He had worked up the courage and was going to tell her, but then the incident happened, and he didn't really think it was right to tell her he was in love with her."

"Hmm." Responded Steve, taking in this new knowledge. It shed a whole new light on why Tommy had called Steve about Azucena. He truly cared for her, more than a friend.

Frog continued with his train of thought, "She finally realized she had feelings for Tommy our senior year. Between knowing we were leaving for the Marines and trying to figure out how to have a relationship after the incident, she decided not to say anything to him. I'm certain before the end of the weekend those two will finally figure out how to tell each other how they feel."

Steve wasn't prepared to hear this last sentence. He was certain Tommy would treat her with the respect she deserved, but he was surprisingly protective of her. He didn't want to see her get hurt and he knew a thing or two about relationships with people in the military.

"How do you know all this?" asked Steve, curious to understand Frog's role in all of this.

"I've watched them over the years and they have confided in me. I'm the secret keeper and a pretty damn good one. I'm only telling you because you're her brother and you don't know the history. He will treat her like a queen and she will be with someone who understands everything about her. Dean and I used to say they were peas and carrots. You know, from that old movie, _Forest Gump_."

Steve was preparing to tell Frog that _Forest Gump_ was not an old movie, it had come out when he was young. Then he realized, he was sixteen years older than these kids. He was old. His mind then switched back to the important topic, was he okay with Tommy and Azucena?


	51. Chapter 51: Intentions

**Thank you for all the encouraging and positive notes. I really appreciate everyone's support and ideas. It took me a little time to write this chapter and I rewrote it in my head as I swam laps this morning. So please forgive any spelling or grammar errors. Thanks so much for your support and patience. ~Avy73**

 **#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~**

Tommy and Azucena finally decided that they needed a break from the sun and water; they walked up the beach to the chairs that Steve and Frog occupied. Frog was the first to speak up, "Are you pruny enough yet?"

"Nah, just starting to get hungry. You hungry Frog?" Azucena asked, as she leaned over Frog and squeezed the water out of her hair, intentionally dripping it all over him.

"Agh, really?" he exclaimed, jumping out of his chair as he tried to avoid the water she was dripping on him. The three of them laughed at him, when suddenly he changed direction and ran at Azucena. She knew he was going to pick her up and throw her back in the water. She threw her towel on the chair and ran away from him as fast as her legs would carry her. The two of them ran through the backyard, in between the hammock and trees, around the beach chairs, and eventually down the beach; laughter and joyfulness following them.

Steve laughed as he watched them, he looked at Tommy, "Are those two always like that?"

"All the time, one is just as onery as the other."

"You're the calm, quiet one." Observed Steve.

"Dean and I balanced them out." He shared.

"Yeah, Azucena told me about Dean. Losing a friend is terrible."

"It hit us all pretty hard, but Frog took it the hardest." Tommy reflected, as he finished drying off with the towel. They watched as Frog ran straight at Azucena a second time, as she managed to maneuver around him. He quickly turned around and dove for her ankles, grabbing one at the last second, which stopped her in her tracks.

"Are they going to do this for a little while?" questioned Steve, who was very hungry at this point.

"For at least the next ten minutes."

"I'm going to start dinner." Steve said, as he laughed at the sight of Frog carrying Azucena over his shoulders towards the water. He could hear her yelling at him.

"What can I do to help?" asked Tommy, as they walked up towards the lanai.

"I'm just preheating the oven, Azucena made a pan of shells earlier in the day."

"She's an incredible cook."

"Oh, I know. I think I've gained ten pounds since she moved in." shared Steve.

"If it's only been ten, you're lucky!" Tommy laughed.

Tommy stood on the lanai and watched his friends dunk each other in the water in a variety of torturous ways. Steve stepped back out onto the lanai with two bottles of water, offering one to Tommy. "Thanks."

"You and Frog make yourselves at home. There's plenty of food in the fridge. Eat and drink whatever you want."

"We appreciate it. As a thank you, we would like to take you and Red out to dinner on Saturday night. You guys pick the place, it's our treat."

"Thanks." Shared Steve, he was debating whether to say anything, but decided as a big brother, he was allowed to ask. "How long have you been in love with her?"

The question didn't faze Tommy, he assumed he showed his hand the day he called Steve about the parole hearing. He continued to watch his two friends try and drown one another, his voice was distant, "As long as I can remember."

He sat down at the table on the lanai and looked at Steve, who had followed suit. "I remember the day she arrived in Silver Pond. I lived next door to the Pressgrove's and Frog lived across the street from me. He and I were playing catch in my front yard when a car pulled up into the Pressgrove's driveway.

"A woman got out of the car and opened the door to the backseat and this little girl with the brightest red hair got out. All she had with her was a plastic grocery sack of clothes. The woman walked her up to the front door, rang the doorbell, introduced her to the Pressgrove's, and left.

"Can you fathom experiencing that at eight years old after you lost your only parent?"

Steve imagined the scene that Tommy had laid out before him, losing his mom was terrible, but to be thrust upon strangers as his sister had been was unfathomable. "I can't wrap my head around it."

"She's amazing. She's the most kind hearted, compassionate person I know." Reflected Tommy, "Her smile can light up a room and her laugh is infectious."

He paused, looked down at his hands and then back at Steve, "After the incident, I watched as she struggled to find her sense of self again and it was one of the hardest things I have ever seen. She's my best friend and I would do anything for her."

Steve saw the passion in his eyes as he talked about Azucena and he decided it was okay if Tommy and Azucena had a relationship, even if it was long distance. "Look, you've known her a lot longer than I have, and she thinks the world of you. You've been there for her through some truly terrible times. I'm not going to stand in the way of you two. However, if you hurt her in any way, you will regret it. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Answered Tommy, "and thanks for being there for her after everything with WoFat and Woods."

"She's ohana, we take care of each other."

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the Frog and Azucena at the table. Steve looked at the two of them, they were breathing hard. "Dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes; if you guys want to get cleaned up."

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

After a delicious dinner filled with laughs, they had done up the dishes and matriculated to the lanai to watch the sunset. The evening passed with teasing from all parties and plenty of laughter. Stories were brought up that embarrassed each of them, like the time Frog lost his eyebrows to a chemistry experiment gone wrong. Or the time Azucena got sent home in fifth grade for breaking Tyler Lentz nose and two of his fingers – he had cut one of her pigtails off in class.

Eventually Steve bid them all goodnight, as he had to work the next morning. Frog begged off to get some shuteye, leaving Tommy and Azucena the rest of the evening to themselves.

"Want to go sit by the water?" offered Azucena, "I love the sound of the waves at night."

"Works for me." Answered Tommy, as he stood up from his chair. She slid her arm around his waist and he rested his arm across her shoulders, they were a perfect fit. As they walked down to the water, she confessed, "I'm so happy you guys were able to come here. I don't think I could have found the right words to describe this place."

"You pretty much live in paradise." He observed.

"It's nice, but I miss you guys." She said, as she squeezed his side with her arm.

"I've missed you too." He said, pulling her closer to him and kissing the side of her head. Butterflies danced in her stomach and there was a slight hitch in her breathe, but she loved the fact that he had kissed her, even if it was just the side of her head.

Tommy allowed himself to linger in her personal space, and he breathed in the smell of her hair. It hadn't changed; it still smelled like peaches and cream. His voice was soft and thick, "I love the smell of your hair."

"Sounds like something Frog would say." She giggled, as she wrapped her other arm around his waist.

"No, Frog would say that he loves the way you style your hair." He responded, and she laughed with her whole body, "You're right!"

"I love your laugh." He shared with her, as he took his free hand and ran it through her hair. At this point in time, the butterflies in her stomach were doing complete summersaults and she could hear her heartbeat in her ears. "Red, I've wanted to kiss you for years."

"Then do it." She answered softly. The hand that had been running through her hair, stopped and he leaned down. When his lips met hers, it was as if electricity ran through her body and every nerve ending was on high alert. Her heart raced, and she loved every moment of it. She gripped his body tighter and without realizing it, pulled him closer to her.

When he ended the kiss, he didn't pull back. He pressed his forehead to her's and could hear her erratic breathing. She was almost dizzy from the excitement. She exhaled, "I've wanted that for a long time."

Her arms were still wrapped around his waist. He whispered, "How long?"

She didn't hesitate, "Senior year, the day we all volunteered at the nursing home. I watched you comb Gladys Snyder's hair and tell her she was beautiful. I always knew you had a gorgeous soul, but that day I saw it."

She didn't have to ask, he volunteered, "The day Runaway Champ died, and you hugged Frog while he mourned the loss of his dog. Your heart is beautiful, and so is the rest of you."

She buried her face in his chest and just relished in the moment. He had told her she was beautiful and kissed her. It was a miracle she was standing upright, the way her body was buzzing with excitement, "Tommy?"

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me again?" She asked, ever so softly as she looked up at him. This kiss was much more passionate and lasted much longer, they were both gasping for air when it ended. Their forehead's pressing together again, "I need to sit down."

He took her by the hand and led her over to the chairs, but she paused and tugged him towards the giant log of driftwood that sat on the beach instead. They both kneeled to sit down and Tommy planted his butt firmly in the sand and leaned against the log. Azucena became emboldened and straddled his lap; then she leaned forward and kissed him again.

Tommy placed his hands on her back in the beginning of the kiss. But as that kiss turned into a passionate makeout session, his hands roamed down to her rear. As he squeezed her tight rear end, he heard a slight gasp in the back of her throat. He was terrified that the past was resurfacing, he pulled back and place his hands on her shoulders, "You okay?"

"Oh yeah." She responded, he could hear the smile in her voice. He catalogued that sound in his brain, it was a happy, excited sound. He wanted to hear it again.

As they resumed kissing, she ran her hands through his hair. She had loved his shaggy hair from last year, but she didn't mind this shorter, clean cut version either. She could feel his hands, one ran down her arm and the other sat softly against her neck. It was as if his touch were fire and everywhere he touched burned with an intensity she had never felt before.

Parts of her body were ablaze and it exhilarated her, but it also slightly scared her. She stopped kissing him, but she still stayed closed to him, their foreheads continuing to touch. He had felt her freeze up, "Everything okay?"

"I'm loving this, don't get me wrong," She paused, "but I can't do much more than this. I don't –"

He interrupted her, running his fingers through her hair, "We will go a slow as you want. If it's too much, just tell me."

He felt her body loosen and relax, he figured this conversation would eventually come up and he was truly willing to go as slow as she wanted. He had waited years, it didn't matter if there were a few more, as long as he got to spend time with her. She hugged him and rested her head on his shoulders. He heard her whisper in her softest voice, "Thank you."

The rest of the evening was spent either looking up at the stars over the ocean or engaged in passionate kisses. It was two in the morning when they decided to get some sleep.

Tommy pulled her up out of the sand and they both wiped the sand off their backsides. Holding hands, they walked up from the beach and stood outside on the lanai. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissed him, and whispered, "I want to fall asleep in your arms, but I think it would test Steve's hospitality."

"He already knows about my intentions, but I don't want to push our luck." Responded Tommy, in his softest voice. He kissed her again, "Good night Red."

"Night Tommy."

They opened the backdoor and parted ways; Tommy to the guestroom and Azucena quietly climbed the stairs. She silently changed into her pajamas, laid in bed, and reflected back on the evening. Her heart was happy.


	52. Chapter 52: Tourism & a Food Truck Lunch

As the three of them left the house to catch the city bus to Pearl Harbor, Frog noticed Tommy hold Red's hand as they walked. Their friendship back home would have allowed this, but he had noticed them sneaking glances at each other all through breakfast. He figured it was time to call them out on it, "So, what did I miss crashing out early last night?"

"We sat out on the beach and looked at the stars." Answered Tommy.

"They seem brighter here, but I think it's the reflection off the water." Supplied Azucena.

"That's all you did until 2 AM?" questioned Frog.

"We might have talked about stuff." Azucena blushed.

"What kind of stuff?" Frog prodded. Tommy thought it would just be easier to raise up their hands together, "This kind of stuff."

"Well it's about damn time!" Frog exclaimed, Azucena and Tommy laughed at his reaction. "Do you know how tired I was trying to keep from letting on that you both liked each other to the other one? Felt like I was going crazy half the time. Now that you have yourselves sorted out, I want to go to a club tomorrow night."

Azucena knew what he was asking and spoke up, "Whatever you want Frog. You've been patient with us."

They only had to ride the bus for about twenty minutes before they arrived at their destination, Pearl Harbor. They toured the museum and occasionally stopped each other to point out an interesting fact that hadn't been covered in history class. It surprised them that all the parking for the WWII survivors would disappear within the next five years because there were so few survivors remaining.

Eventually they boarded the shuttle boat that took them out to the memorial for the _USS Arizona_. They walked the corridor that led to the room of names. The three of them stood in silence as they read through the names. Azucena had seen it immediately; she had searched for it. She felt bad because she hadn't look at the other names, just that one, Steven J. McGarrett.

Steve had told her earlier in month about their grandfather, who was killed aboard the _USS Arizona_. Steve was named after him. She was happy to learn about their family history, but in the same instant, it felt so distant to her. She was angry that she had never known her father, Steven's son. This was the part of her life that ate away at her and made her angry with their mother and Joe.

Tommy nudged her with his elbow, his voice a soft whisper out of respect for the dead. "Red, is that name what I think it is?"

"It's my grandfather's name." she answered softly. "He was aboard the Arizona on December 7th."

"Sweet Jesus." Whispered Frog. Azucena didn't want to have this conversation in this place. It was not the appropriate place for her anger. This was a place to mourn the dead and thank them for their service. She murmured, "We can talk about it later."

Once they finished reading through the names and paying their respects, they took the boat back to land and toured the _USS Missouri_. They found it fascinating and walking through an actual submarine was interesting for three kids who grew up in a landlocked state. As they wandered through the boat, Azucena thought about Steve and how he lived in these tight quarters. She wasn't certain how he did it without becoming claustrophobic.

The three of them then took the bus to walk Kalakaua Avenue, which was Hawaii's version of Rodeo Drive. They were surprised by the number of limos they saw driving this street and the big brand-named stores. Stores they couldn't imagine walking into, let alone purchasing something in.

Finally, lunchtime had arrived, and Azucena introduced them to Kamekona's shrimp truck. As they walked up to the ordering window, Kamekona recognized her, "Little sistah, how are you today?"

"I'm good, how are you Kamekona?"

"Just fine, thanks. I don't see your brother around here. Who are these two young men with you and does your brother know one is holding your hand?" Kamekona's eyes got big as he took in the fact that Tommy was indeed holding her hand.

Azucena laughed at the overprotectiveness of Kamekona. She appreciated his concern, "These are my friends from back home. This is Tommy, and this is Frankie." She said, gesturing to each of them. They both waved and smiled at the man.

"Nice to meet you both." Kamekona replied and then looked to Azucena, "What will you have today, Little Sistah?"

"Lemon shrimp and a bottle of water, please." She answered. As she started to reach for her bag, Tommy put his hand on her arm, "Can I get your garlic shrimp and a bottle of water as well?"

"Yes, you can." Answered Kamekona, really studying the young man. Tommy paid for their lunches and then Frog ordered. The three of them found a spot in the shade and waited for their food to arrive.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve and Danny were arguing over where to go for lunch. As Steve started the Camaro, his phone rang, it was Kamekona.

"Hey Kamekona." Steve answered to the speaker phone, as he backed the car out of Danny's parking space.

"McGarrett, do you know your sister is at my food truck with two young hooligans? One even paid for her lunch." Steve leaned his head back against the headrest of the Camaro, concern in his voice, "Are they misbehaving?"

"He's holding her hand." Came Kamekona's voice. Danny looked over at Steve, a look of confusion on his face.

"Does it look like she doesn't want him to hold her hand?" questioned Steve, in his serious voice even though he knew the situation. He was certain his sister was more than okay with Tommy holding her hand. It told him things had been said or happened last night after he went to bed. He had heard her quietly climb the stairs at 2 in the morning; he knew everything was fine, so he rolled over and went back to sleep.

"She keeps smiling, but that could be a cover." Offered Kamekona. Steve smiled to himself; he had good friends on this island. If he was ever concerned for his sister's safety, he shouldn't be. This helped make another decision he was mulling over today easier.

He was certain Azucena was fine but thought it might put Kamekona at ease if they showed up. He would think they were taking his call with the seriousness it deserved. "Danny and I are on our way."

Kamekona smiled as he hung up the phone, two more lunch customers.

Danny looked over to Steve, "Your sister's dating one of these guys that came out to visit?"

"I wouldn't say they are dating. Apparently, they've been sweet on each other over the years."

"Sweet on each other? What are you, from Kansas?" Danny asked, mocking Steve.

"No, but they are, and she's used that phrase for other people in the past." Reflected Steve, and then to irritated Danny, "I feel like it's an appropriate phrase."

"So how 'sweet on each other' are they?" questioned Danny, using his hands as emphasis for the phrase in question.

"Apparently he's been in love with her for ages. He was honest about it."

"How does Azucena feel about him?" Danny asked, as he digested the fact that his partner had already interrogated the young man.

"I didn't come out and ask her, but I get the impression she feels the same way."

"How do you feel about this?"

"What is this? Are we in therapy or something?" countered Steve, deflecting the question.

"No, I just want to know if my partner's head is going to be in the game for the rest of the day or if he is going to be thinking about the young man who is in love with his sister. I was that age once. I know how guys think about girls at that age."

"What are you saying Daniel? That Tommy wants to have sex with my sister." Steve regretted that statement the minute it came out of his mouth. He didn't want to think about either of his sister's in that situation. He knew Mary had plenty of ex-boyfriends and he never asked, but with Azucena things were different. She had experienced things no one ever should. Her view on sex was probably pretty jaded and he didn't ever want her to feel pressured. He was terribly protective of her and he trusted her, but he couldn't disagree with Danny.

"I'm just saying, guys at that age have one thing on their mind most of the time."

"They've known each other since they were kids. I can't just step in and say, 'No.' Besides, she's nineteen years old, she's an adult. I can't tell her who she can and can't date. I'm not her dad." The last sentence hit Steve harder than it should have. His throat suddenly became tight. He pushed down the emotion that it brought forth.

"What did you tell him? I assume you interrogated him, as you said he confessed to being in love with her."

"I told him that if he hurt her it wouldn't end well." Answered Steve. A part of him felt like Danny was blowing this whole thing out of proportion. He had watched Tommy answer his questions, the young man was sincere. Tommy had witnessed Azucena struggle through the incident and pick up the pieces. However, the Tommy was still human. Danny wasn't wrong. Steve remembered being that age. Conflict flickered through his brain.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Danny and Steve climbed out of the Camaro, and Steve surveyed the picnic tables. He spotted his sister and her friends in the shade, where he honestly expected her. She and Tommy had their backs towards the parking area, but Frog could see him. He waved to Steve, and Azucena and Tommy's heads turned as well. Everyone waved to each other and Steve scrutinized his sister's appearance. The smile on her face was genuine, her body language was relaxed, and she looked happy.

That's when it dawned on him, Kamekona was working to get more customers and he had managed to get two more this afternoon. Steve shook his head at himself and just accepted the fact that he had been had.

Steve and Danny walked up to the window, Kamekona looking down at them. "Gentlemen, what can I get you this afternoon?"

They placed their orders and Steve looked up to Kamekona, "She was perfectly fine the whole time?"

"He held her hand, brah." Answered Kamekona, concern in his voice.

"Do you think he has cooties?" questioned Danny, poking fun at Kamekona and goading Steve at the same time. Steve playfully smacked Danny in the chest, "I can't wait until your sisters come and visit you."

They ambled over to the table the three young people occupied and joined them. Azucena introduced Danny to Frog and Tommy. Danny's first words, "Frog?"

"It's a nickname." Explained Frog, "My real name is Frankie."

"How did you get this nickname?" Danny asked.

Azucena spoke up, "He swims like a frog. When most people kick their legs, they flutter kick, but he has always kicked like a frog."

Danny shook his head in understanding and then looked over to Tommy, "You have any fun nicknames?"

"No sir, I'm the boring one."

"Fair enough, what did you all do this morning?" Danny asked, Steve watched his partner morph into parent mode on his sister. He realized what Danny was doing, but coming from Danny, it wasn't as intrusive.

"We went to Pearl Harbor." Offered Frog, "It was truly incredible. The museum is amazing, and I surprised to learn that the ship is still leaking oil."

Steve looked over at his sister and asked somberly, "Did you see his name?"

"Yeah, I saw it right away." She answered in between bites of food. The anger she had felt earlier bubbling in her person. She pushed it down; she wasn't mad at Steve. She was angry with her mother and Joe. She tried to change the subject, "I didn't realize that the men who served on that ship that survived, their ashes can be interned there. I was really surprised by that."

"What?" asked Danny.

"Danno, you have lived here almost two years. Are you telling me you haven't been to Pearl Harbor?" questioned Steve, seriousness in his voice.

"I'm going to take Grace there when she is older and will understand. I really don't want to explain war to her at five years old." Danny said, defending the fact that he hadn't been to the museum. He knew he needed to visit it.

"One weekend when you don't have Gracie, I'm going to make sure you go there."

"How do you not get claustrophobic on a submarine?" Azucena asked her brother, trying to break up the partner squabble that was occurring in front of them. She elaborated further, "We toured the _USS Missouri_ and it was close quarters."

"Ah, the Missouri." Exclaimed Danny, "Did your brother tell you how he saved twenty hostages from a SEAL suffering from PTSD trying to kill everyone on board?"

The young people's mouths dropped open and Steve looked over at his partner, "What is wrong with you?"

"What? You did save all those people, Captain America." Danny placed emphasis on the nickname he used for Steve from time to time.

"I don't think we get that sort of intro and not get to hear the story." Azucena responded, looking at her brother with curiosity. In between bites of his lunch, Steve shared the story of the SEAL and the _USS Missouri_. The three young adults just stared at him in awe.

When everyone had finished eating and their lunch break was almost over, Steve looked to his sister, "Got a minute?"

It took her a second to figure out what he was asking, but when she finally did, she nodded and stood up from the table. She picked up some of the empty trays, as did Steve, and they walked over to the garbage cans, "How was last night?"

She looked at him with concern and embarrassment, "It was nice. Did we keep you up? We tried to be quiet."

"No, you guys were just fine." He answered, "I just wanted to make sure everything went okay."

"Yeah, things are good." She flushed red. Steve picked up on her embarrassment and changed the subject, "I actually wanted to tell you that Catherine called me this morning. There's been a development with WoFat."

Her heart raced, panic ran through her body, "What kind of development?"

"He's been spotted in Beijing multiple times." He shared, "I'm considering taking some time to go over there and investigate his whereabouts. See if I can pin him down. I wanted your input before I made a decision."

He watched the panic and fear flash across her face, then he watched as she masked it with a confidence he knew she didn't possess. He didn't wait for her to give an answer, "It's just something I'm thinking about doing, I haven't made a decision yet. Think it over, let me know if you are comfortable here on your own or not. I'm not going to be upset either way."

She nodded her head and managed to get out, "Okay."

He hooked his arm around her shoulder, "Go spend the rest of the day with your buddies. Don't think about this, we can talk about it after they leave."

"Sounds good." She replied. He kissed the top of her head and let her go. He motioned for Danny and headed towards the car.


	53. Chapter 53: The Concert

Azucena had put the finishing touches on her outfit for the evening, it was a little racy for her standards, but she was happy with the turnout. She had pulled on her tight low-rise jeans and a Ramones t-shirt that covered a good portion of her torso but left her belly button and her abs partially exposed. It left plenty to the imagination but was suggestive enough to make her feel almost sexy. She finished the look with combat boots and her hair pulled up in pigtail buns. It was an outfit she was comfortable in and she knew she looked hot in it.

As she danced down the stairs, there was a knock on the front door, "I got it."

She opened the front door, expecting to see Danny, but was surprised to see Joe White standing on the front porch. It seemed as if all the hair on her arms bristled. Joe could bring out the anger in her by just breathing.

Joe took in the sight of Azucena, "Evening young lady, is Steve home."

"Yeah, come on in. He's in the kitchen." she held the door open for him.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve was in the kitchen when he heard the doorbell. Tommy and Frog were introducing him to the music of the Dropkick Murphys, when he heard Azucena yell that she would get the door. He heard the sound of multiple footsteps and looked up to see Joe White standing in his kitchen. The last time Joe had stood in this kitchen hadn't ended particularly well. The look on Joe's face was a combination of surprise and irritation.

"Joe." Greeted Steve.

"Steve," he looked at Frog and Tommy, trying for jovial. "well you two are pretty far from home."

"Mr. Reed." Tommy offered, politely. While Frog just offered a small wave.

"Mr. White." Azucena corrected, in a clipped voice. Tommy looked to her, then he remembered one of the many lies Joe had told them over the years.

Azucena wasn't in the mood to deal with Joe and his lies. She walked over to Steve and hugged him, "We're gonna be late."

"Be safe and have fun." He responded as they headed towards the door.

Steve watched as the three young people left the house. He could feel the anger of his sister and he couldn't blame her. Joe represented a lot of lies and miss opportunities for the young woman. If he were in her shoes, he would have felt he same way.

"That was icy." Observed Joe.

"What do you expect Joe? You've lied to her for years."

"I did it to keep her, you and Mary safe."

"You kept her from her real family Joe. She would have been able to know our dad, but because of your lies and our mother's lies, she will never know him."

"I did it to protect all of you, John included." His voice adamant.

Steve decided it was best to just change the subject, "Why are you here Joe?"

"WoFat."

"What about him?" asked Steve, feigning ignorance about the information he received from Catherine earlier in the day.

"He's been spotted in Budapest three times within the last week." He shared with Steve.

"Where did you get this information?"

"One of my contacts at Langley informed me that there were a few arms deals that went down last week and WoFat was one of the buyers. The exchange took place in Budapest and it appears our friend has extended his stay there."

Steve mulled over the information Joe was providing. He knew Joe was lying to him, he just didn't know why he was lying. Steve continued to remain silent, as if to ponder the information that Joe had provided. He knew if he remained silent, Joe would show his hand. "I know you were looking for him son. After everything he did to Jenna and Azucena, I thought you would want to know about his whereabouts."

"You're right Joe, he has caused plenty of damage in our lives. This is good information." He got the impression that Joe wanted him to travel to Budapest to track down WoFat. Something didn't seem right. He knew WoFat was spotted in Beijing. He just couldn't figure out Joe's angle.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

She was fuming! He walked right in their house and pretend like everything was perfectly fine; like he hadn't lied to them their entire lives.

"Let it go Red. He's a dick." Offered Frog, as Tommy squeezed her hand. She didn't want Joe to ruin their night, but the anger just ate away at her insides. Frog looked over to Tommy and Tommy gestured for him to walk ahead of them.

Tommy stopped, and she turned to see why he had stopped. He gently tugged her closer to him, and looked her right in the eye, "Do you know how hot you look tonight?"

She blushed and felt the butterflies in her stomach, a slight giggle escaped her lips.

He leaned into her and whispered into her ear, "The way your jeans hug your butt makes me want to devour you."

"I would like that." She responded, as she let her finger trail down his tight black t-shirt that stretched across his chiseled chest.

"Yeah?" he paused, reading the desire in her eyes, "Maybe later, we can make that happen, but first, let's go to the concert and have a good time."

"Sounds like a plan." She leaned forward and kissed him as the butterflies continued to dance. She was excited for the concert, but she was equally as excited for the festivities after the concert.

They caught the bus down to Oahu Stadium and stood in line to gain access to the stadium. Once they passed security, they made their way through the different seating sections. On the way to the general admission section, Frog stopped off at a bar and picked up two bottles of beer. He handed one to Tommy.

Azucena was a little surprised, she remembered back home sometimes they would chase a case on a slow Saturday night, but she didn't expect it tonight. It was a bold move, but she couldn't say she wasn't surprised. Tommy offered her a drink from his beer, she shook her head to pass. She wasn't much of a drinker and the guys understood her issues with control.

They milled about waiting for the show to start and when it finally did, they were elated. They sang along to every song at the top of their lungs, just like the people that surrounded them. The upbeat tempo of the music had them dancing and laughing. About ten songs into the set, they played one of their slow songs that Azucena loved, _The Green Fields of France_.

Frog looked over at Tommy, "Beer?"

He nodded, and Frog took off. Tommy stood behind Azucena and wrapped his arms around her. His hands rested on her bare stomach as they swayed to the music of the song. Tommy leaned down and softly sang the words in her ear. She wrapped her hands around his arms; she was completely relaxed and happy.

She wasn't certain what possessed her, but she turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. He bent down and kissed her, softly. The kissing continued as the music switched to one of the faster, punk songs that they were known for, but that didn't stop Tommy and Azucena. It was the sound of Frog clearing his throat that pulled them from their moment of passion.

They broke apart and as Azucena turned to face the stage, she reached for the second beer in Frog's hand and took a pull from it. She hadn't had a beer in almost three years, and it still tasted as gross as she remembered. She took another drink and then handed it to Tommy. He placed his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her into his side, "You're full of surprises tonight."

"It's been a long time since I felt this comfortable, just celebrating it."

The three of them enjoyed the rest of show.

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Steve heard the jingling of the keys in the door at midnight. He listened, as the three of them let themselves into the house and locked the front door. He heard one head for the bedroom and then the backdoor opened to the lanai. He assumed it was Azucena and Tommy. He rolled over and went back to sleep.

Azucena pulled Tommy out to the beach and giggled; she had drunk a beer and a half, and she was buzzed. Tommy had drunk enough that he was just feeling relaxed, he was still in complete control of himself and looking out for Azucena. As they reached the chairs of the beach, she turned around, "I've missed this."

"Missed what?" Tommy asked for clarification, as he wrapped his arm around her waist and held her closely to him.

"I miss being so comfortable with people." She said, and Tommy understood. He watched her change instantly after that Valentine's Day. She no longer went to field parties and drank with all the other young people. If she went, she drank soda or tea and watched as everyone else had a good time. She was safe, Tommy and the guys made sure of it, but she never allowed herself to relax. She was always aware of what was going on around her.

"It's good to see you relaxed." He responded, as he bent down and kissed her. She kissed him back and ran her hands through his hair. When they finally came up for air, her voice thick, "I enjoyed that."

She pulled him over to the old piece of driftwood that sat on the beach and they sat down, she leaned her head back, looked up at the stars, and sighed.

"Let's hear it, City Girl." Offered Tommy.

"Hear what, Country Boy?"

"The same thing you tell me every time we look at the stars." He chuckled as he pulled her closer to him.

"They are just so beautiful and it's amazing how many there are." She turned into him, rested her head on his shoulder, and splayed her hand across his t-shirt. She began to trace her hands along his stomach and then she traced his nipples through his shirt, "Did you know I was checking out your ass Thursday when you and Frog were waiting for me to come swim?"

"I did not know that." He tried to hide the smile in his voice. Internally he was enjoying her complete honesty. He had known she found him attractive, but he understood that talking about attraction was difficult for her. He loved how she blushed so easily, even before the incident.

"It's a nice ass, but your abs are just as lovely." She rambled, as her finger ran up and down his shirt. Then she found the hem of his shirt and ran her hand under it, feel along his chiseled abdomen. He shuddered at her soft, delicate touch and dropped his head back in complete relaxation, "Red, that feels so nice."

"I'm glad." She responded, and he smiled at her lack of filter. She continued to run her finger along his abs and worked her way up his chest until she softly pinched one of his nipples.

"Hey." He teased her.

"I was just checking to see if they were sensitive."

"I could check to see if yours are sensitive." He playfully offered, knowing nothing would come of it. It was too early in their relationship, and he didn't dare push her. He was surprised however, when she lifted her head from his shoulder and straddled his lap like the previous night. She wrapped her hands around the back of his head and kissed him.

His hands wrapped immediately around her exposed waist and he pulled her closer to him. The kisses started out long and slow, but then there was an urgency that took over. He ran the edge of his thumb along her stomach, and he felt the low moan in the back of her throat. He grinned at the sound, it was a sound that made his whole body happy and she noticed. She paused from kissing him as she felt a fire spread between her thighs in reaction, "I can feel you."

She pulled herself closer to him and whispered in his ear, "And I like it."

"Glad to hear it." He responded and ran his thumb along her ribs and he heard her moan again. He would give anything to hear that sound over and over again, and he knew one day he would. He let his hand climb higher under her shirt, until his thumb traced the bottom of her breast through her bra and she moaned into his mouth. It took all the self-control he could muster to pull back from her lips, "Can I?"

She knew what he was asking, and before she went back to kissing him she whispered, "Yes."

He started out slow and let his hand circle her breast, her cotton bra keeping his hand from skin to skin contact. That didn't matter because the minute his thumb traced over her nipple, she moaned into his mouth and ground her pelvis against him. It was an unconscious reaction and he enjoyed the friction it caused.

She felt the fireworks the instant his finger grazed her nipple, it was as if her skin were on fire and the fire between her thighs spread, "Tommy?"

"Yeah?" he whispered back.

"Do it again." She begged, and he willingly obliged. He felt her become jelly in his hands. The combination of her breasts in his hands, the moaning coming from her mouth, and the involuntary grinding of her pelvis against his was more than he could handle.

He slowly withdrew his hand from under her shirt and ran them up her back. She paused in her kissing of him, "You stopped?"

"I have to, or I won't want to later." He answered honestly, his forehead pressed to hers. She understood what he was telling her, he was stopping for her sake because he knew if they continued down the path they were going, he wouldn't want to stop. How did she ever get so lucky to have a man as wonderful as him? "Thank you."

"Thank you." He said, as he kissed her once again, "Now you have to sit next to me because I can't handle you straddling me like this right now."

She smiled at the pull she had over his body, and gently moved herself to sit next to him and laid her head on his chest. She heard his heart in his chest, it was racing. She closed her eyes and relaxed to that sound, she didn't remember falling asleep.

It was three in the morning when Tommy gently nudged her awake, "Red, wake up."

She opened her eyes, the moon had shifted, but it was still dark out, "What time is it?"

"Three, come on. Time to go to bed." She sat up and oriented herself to the beach. Tommy stood up and offered her a hand. They wiped the sand off their clothes and headed towards the lanai. Before he opened the door, he kissed her and pulled her into his chest. He committed this feeling to memory.

Once they were in the house, they parted ways and Azucena silently climbed the stairs to her room.

Steve awoke to her quiet footsteps on the stairs, he looked at his alarm clock, 3:00 AM. He didn't even want to think about what they had been doing for the past three hours. He rolled over and went back to sleep.


	54. Chapter 54: Confessions and Apologies

**To those who continue to read, thank you. Your notes make me smile and I'm glad you enjoy the story. ~Avy73**

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She heard the footsteps in the hallway, she opened one eyelid and glanced at her alarm clock, it was six in the morning. She knew Steve was going for his morning swim. She rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but her mind wander. Memories of last night swirled in her head. There was Joe, she made a mental note of asking Steve what happened with Joe last night and why he was here.

Then there was the concert. It was one of the better concerts they had been to, and she enjoyed every aspect of it, the music, the energy of the crowd, and the company. Then she flashed back to last night on the beach with Tommy. She had enjoyed their time together and she was surprised with herself and how comfortable she was with Tommy. She never felt self-conscious or embarrassed with him, which was saying a lot after Woods.

Then she thought about the beer. That wasn't one of her better decisions and she owed Steve an apology. She could just as easily not say anything to him about it, but she didn't want to keep secrets from him. Joe had set an example of everything she didn't want in a relationship with her family, and she thought full disclosure would be better.

She pulled herself out of bed and pulled on pajama pants and a top that covered more than her cami. She slid into her flipflops and quietly descended the stairs. She silently puttered around the kitchen starting the coffee pot and making herself a cup of tea while she waited for the coffee to brew.

She ambled down to the chairs on the beach and set his coffee cup on the armrest of the other chair. She curled up in her chair, sipped her tea, and waited to confess her sins to him. She wasn't thrilled with herself, but she wasn't exactly upset either. She felt that at times she straddled two different worlds and it wasn't always easy to know what was allowed. She closed her eyes.

She didn't hear him until he was standing on the beach in front of her, drying off, "Morning."

She smiled at him, rubbing sleep from her eyes, "Morning, how was the water?"

"It was surprisingly chilly." He said, as he lowered himself into the chair next to her and took a sip of coffee, "Thanks for the coffee. How was the concert?"

"It was amazing. We had a great time."

"Glad to hear it. Are the other two still asleep?"

"Yeah," she paused, looking down at the cup in her hands. "I need to tell you something and then I need to apologize to you."

Steve was surprised. This wasn't the typical behavior of his sister and she rarely did anything that was troublesome, so this gave him a measure of discomfort. He leaned back in the chair and looked over at her, "Okay, I'm listening."

"Last night at the concert, I had a beer." She confessed, looking over at him and then back down at her teacup. "Back home, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but out here, things are different. You are the head of an elite task force and I'm underage. If I had gotten caught, it would have affected you professionally and undermined your credibility."

She paused, and then looked him in the eye, "I'm sorry for the bad decision I made and how it could have adversely affected you."

Steve was blown away; his two sisters couldn't have been more polar opposites. If Mary had gone out and gotten drunk underage, she sure as hell wouldn't have told on herself and he doubted she would have apologized to him. Here Azucena was, apologizing for having one beer at a concert.

He couldn't be angry with her; he would have been a hypocrite to lecture her on underage drinking. He had been sneaking beers off and on since he was fourteen.

He studied her face, she was sincere in her apology. "Thank you, I'm glad you recognize the repercussions of what could happen."

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, he looked out at the water, "Why tell me this? You could have easily not said anything and I would never have been the wiser."

"It would have been a lie of omission, and I refuse to lie to you." she paused, "And I would have been like Joe."

There it was, she didn't want to lie to him like Joe had lied to the them. He understood how important honesty was to her and he appreciated it. He also wanted to understand why she felt compelled to do it. "Fair enough, but why did you do it?"

"Back home, it wasn't uncommon to chase a case on a slow Saturday night. There isn't a lot to do in a small town."

"Chase a case?"

"Find someone to buy you alcohol." She explained, "Most people's parents didn't care if their kids drank, as long as they weren't driving. It was kind of viewed as a rite of passage. Jack wasn't thrilled about it, but I didn't do it very often and after the incident, I never touched it."

"Lack of control?" he questioned, knowing it was the main reason, but wanting confirmation.

"Yeah, but last night I was so comfortable, and I felt like I was back home. I was with my friends, listening to our music, enjoying a night together. I didn't even think twice about it." Her face showed how much she enjoyed the prior evening. There were no hints of stress or concern; she was calm, and Steve could see it. "I felt safe and relaxed. I wasn't looking over my shoulder for a madman or a rapist, I was living in the moment and it felt so good."

He realized that she was able to just be and feel secure. He wanted that for her more than anything and the fact that she felt that way last night was a small victory for him. "I get it, you got caught up having fun with your friends. I'm not mad and I'm not disappointed. You're human and I can't lecture you on underage drinking because I was just as guilty. But you aren't wrong, if you get caught, it will blow back on me, so you can't do it again."

"I know, and I won't, but I had to be honest about it. It was weighing on me this morning."

"Let's put it in the past and move forward. Sound okay?" he questioned.

"Works for me."

"While we are confessing things, we should probably have a conversation about you and Tommy." Steve said, as he watched his sister blush.

"What about Tommy and me?"

"You two together?"

"Yes." She responded, a smile stretched across her face. It was a beautiful site.

"I told him on Thursday if he hurt you, he would regret it. Now I'm going to be the protective big brother and probably make you uncomfortable in the process." He was preparing her for the awkwardness of this conversation, "I'm okay if you two date, but long-distance relationships are difficult. If or when you guys decide to have sex, use protection and if he pressures you, I want to know about it."

"Holy God, do we really have to have this conversation?" She couldn't look at him, she stared out at the water.

"Yes, because you are my sister and I'll do everything I can to protect you."

"Well, you will be happy to know, we aren't having sex and Tommy is willing to go as slow as I want and if we are being honest, it will probably be glacially slow." She said, as she looked back down at her teacup.

"Nothing wrong with that." Steve responded, slightly relieved that her walks upstairs at 2 and 3 in the morning weren't complete walks of shame. Not that he would have judged her for it, he just didn't really want to know about it.

"And our sex ed consisted of more than 'don't pet the sweaty things and don't sweat the petty things,' so we are fully informed of protection. No need to worry on that front."

"What did you just say?" he exclaimed in horror at the phrase that came out of her mouth.

"You mean –"

He cut her off before she could continue, "Don't say it again, it was horrible enough the first time."

She laughed as she realized he was just as uncomfortable with this conversation as she was. For both their sakes, she decided to change the subject, "What did Joe want?"

"That was an interesting conversation last night. He came by to tell me that WoFat had been spotted in Budapest multiple times last week."

"I thought he was in Beijing." Azucena countered, brushing hair out of her face. The wind was strong.

"He was in Beijing and still is; Joe is lying, and I can't figure out why."

"Are you surprised?"

"Yes and no, I wouldn't expect him to lie about the whereabouts of WoFat, so I'm thinking Joe is mixed up in this somehow and is working to cover his tracks. I just can't figure out what he is covering up."

"I thought about what we talked about at lunch yesterday and taking this into account, I think you should go to Beijing. It makes sense." She took a sip from her tea.

"Are you sure about that? I want you to feel safe." He was sincere in that statement. She had been through enough with WoFat the first go around, if WoFat found out Steve was coming after him and Azucena was alone, it made her terribly vulnerable.

"I feel safe here. Between the security system, your team, and Kamekona, I'm pretty certain I'll be fine."

"If I do this, you won't be able to get in contact with me right away. I'll be dark for a little while."

"That's okay." She looked at him and smiled, "I've been on my own before, I can take care of myself."

"Yes, you can." He said, understanding she was exerting her independence. He mulled everything over, "Since you are okay with it, I'm going to go. I won't leave for a day or two, I need to get somethings lined up. You can't say anything to anyone, do you understand?"

"Yeah, my lips are sealed."

"What are you guys doing today?" Steve asked, changing the subject.

"I think we were going to spend the day on the beach, but it looks like the wind is going to make the water pretty rough. The guys want to take us out to dinner tonight and then there is a club we are going to check out tonight."

"Which club?"

"Tremors." She said, knowing this was going to throw her brother. She waited for it, she watched Steve turn the name of the club over in his head, and then he looked at her, "You know that's a gay bar, right?"

"It is indeed." She responded, he was slower to connect the dots than she had anticipated.

"Frog?"

"Yeah, but we don't broadcast it, military and all."

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed." Steve offered.

"Yeah, but homophobia wasn't." she responded. Steve saw her point, most of the guys he served with were okay with it, but there were a few that could make someone's life a living hell. He could understand the desire to keep it quiet for the time being.

"I won't say anything."

"I didn't think you would."

"With the water being so rough, you guys want to go spend the day up at Likeke Falls? Danny, Grace and I were thinking of spending the day up there."

"If you are up for three more people to join you, I think the guys would love it." She shared.

"Sounds like a plan." He said, and leaned back in his chair to watch the waves roll in.


	55. Chapter 55: The Last Night

The six of them spent the day at Likeke Falls basking in the rays of the sun. Steve watched his sister transform into a kid as the three young adults jumped from the cliffs multiple times. Grace had no fear and kept up with them, jumping each time they did. Danny was not impressed with the cliff jumping; but was thoroughly enjoying the fresh water for a change.

They ate lunch in the meadow that surrounded the falls and spend the rest of the afternoon swimming and goofing off. Danny was impressed with Azucena's friends and how easily they pulled Grace into their circle. He realized that both young men came from big families, so it was no different than having a little sister tag along with them.

As the afternoon began to fade, they packed up their coolers and bags and headed towards home; with Danny and Grace planning to meet them for dinner on the rooftop of The Candle Club.

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Steve, Frog, and Tommy were standing in the kitchen waiting for Azucena to finish getting ready. They were discussing the latest in baseball, when Azucena appeared in the kitchen. She was wearing a long sleeved green and black striped dress with flared sleeves and a high neck, but there was a diamond shaped cut-out from her collarbone to her chest. The dress stopped mid-thigh and she had paired it with black heels.

Steve took in the sight of his sister, she was appropriately covered, but this dress brought home the point that she had curves and was gorgeous. It made him uncomfortable, but he wasn't about to say anything. He knew Azucena, if she wasn't comfortable, she wouldn't have worn it.

Tommy, on the other hand, had his breath taken away by the sight of her. The dress hugged her curves in all the right places and it made him want to wrap her up in his arms and devour her. However, he was standing right next to her brother, so he kept these thoughts to himself.

Frog actually spoke up, "Red, you look amazing! Ready to go?"

"Thanks, you look pretty debonair yourself." She said, as she grabbed his arm and they headed for the door. The other two following behind them, each stuck in their own thoughts.

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Dinner on the rooftop of the Candle Club was a relaxing affair for the six of them and it was easy to see that Grace had become quite smitten with Frog. Everyone laughed and joked with each other as dinner was served.

However, it had been a long day and by the time dinner was over, Grace had fallen asleep at the table. The adults continued to talk a while longer until it they felt they had lingered too long. Danny departed with a sleeping Grace; Steve bid the young people good night; and they headed off to a nightclub.

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As Steve walked through the front door, his cell rang. It was Catherine.

"Hey there beautiful."

"Hey sailor." She responded enthusiastically, "I saw that I missed your call last night and I haven't had any time today to ring you back."

"Not to worry, I know how busy life can be on an aircraft carrier. How are you?" hearing her voice was soothing to him.

"I'm good. Trying to plan my next round of leave."

"Want to come here or you want me to meet you somewhere?"

"Oh, we can go somewhere?" she mulled this over in her head, "My decision just became more difficult."

"I'm up for either. You pick the place and I'll make it a point to be there." He answered, a smile overtaking his face. He truly loved this woman and he was now more motivated than ever to go find that ring he had been considering.

"I'll let you know what I decide. I should have some time in about six weeks. Once it's nailed down, I'll let you know." She answered, and then thought about the voicemail he left. "Your voicemail said you had a question. What's going on?"

"That information you told me the other day, how accurate is it?"

"Solid, why?" she supplied, curiosity in her voice.

"Joe stopped by yesterday and said he had been spotted in Budapest. I got the impression Joe was telling me that to get me to go after him."

"Why would Joe purposefully mislead you?"

"I get the impression he is more tangled up in this than I want to know."

"Are you surprised?" she asked dryly.

"With Joe, I'm never surprised anymore." He answered honestly. She could hear him rub his hand across his face; he was frustrated, and she picked up on it.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to do what we talked about, but the only people that know are you and Azucena."

"Sounds like a plan. How is your sister and her friends?" asked Catherine, trying to pick a pleasant subject for him.

"They are all good. Did I tell you that one of them is sweet on her?" She could hear the conflict in his voice.

"Is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I'm certain it's a good thing. He's a good kid and they have known each other forever. He didn't deny it when I asked him."

She interrupted him, "You didn't interrogate him, did you?"

"Not like I would if it was Mary's boyfriend. I feel like I would have more legs to stand on in that situation." He answered honestly to Catherine.

"Oh my goodness, what did you do?" She knew her boyfriend and how overprotective he could be. She could only imagine how this conversation went.

"I just asked him if he was in love with her and told him if he did anything to hurt her, he would regret it."

"How was that received."

"He didn't even flinch."

"Dear Lord, I should have been out there this weekend. To distract you, if anything else."

"I would have loved the distraction." She could hear the truth in his words. Steve had always been romantic with her, but as of late, he had become more expressive of his emotions.

"Give me six weeks and I'll distract you."

"I'm looking forward to it." She could tell he really meant it.

"Hey Sailor, I've gotta go. My shift starts soon."

"Don't work too hard. Love you."

"Love you too." She disconnected, Steve leaned back in the recliner, closed his eyes, and quickly fell asleep.

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They grabbed a bus from the Candle Club and ended up at the stop near _Tremors_. Upon entering the club, they scoped the place out and found a spot that suited them. Frog headed straight for the bar, while Tommy and Azucena lingered behind, "You want a beer?"

Azucena leaned into him, speaking directly into his ear, over the loud music, "Nah, I promised Steve I wouldn't. If I get caught, it will reflect poorly on him."

"I hadn't even thought about that." Tommy responded, over the noise of the bar.

"Yeah, definitely a different set of rules out here." She paused, "How'd Frog get the fake?"

"Some guy on base. It makes me uncomfortable, but it doesn't seem to faze him." Tommy responded.

"Do you have one?" she asked.

"No, but drinking hasn't really been a big thing for me."

"If memory serves me, it never really was." She answered, wrapping her arm around his shoulders, she started moving to the beat of the music that played overhead. It was an R&B song that had a suggestive rhythm.

Azucena checked for Frog at the bar, he was talking with a few other guys and seemed to be enjoying himself; so, she focused her energy on Tommy and them enjoying their last night out together. It had been ages since they had danced. They spent a good portion of the evening on the dance floor. The techno kept them alert, while the R&B stimulated every nerve in their body when they brushed against each other. Before the evening was over, she basically wanted to rip Tommy's clothes off him but decided that might be frowned upon by the club employees.

The DJ announced last call and half the dance floor emptied, but not them. Tommy pulled her closer to him, and leaned down to her ear, "I watched you walk into the kitchen tonight and I couldn't breathe. You look amazing in that dress and all the thoughts that ran through my head were things your brother would murder me for thinking."

"So you like the dress?" she asked, teasing him.

"I like the way the dress hugs you in all the right places." He clarified for her as he kissed her. The butterflies danced in her stomach and a warmth rushed all over her body. She was going to miss him, but she was going to enjoy as much of tonight as possible.

They continued to dance and make out on the dance floor until the house lights came up. Azucena was disappointed the music had come to an end, but Tommy hadn't let go of her. Frog found his way over to them, and the three of them headed towards the exit, Azucena tucked closely into Tommy's side.

They caught a cab home and Frog crashed out in his room, while Azucena and Tommy quietly opted for the beach. Tommy didn't even try to maneuver them towards the chairs as he had the last two nights. He knew where Azucena wanted to go, and he wasn't about to complain. She kicked her heels off in the grass before they reached the sand, and they headed straight for the large piece of driftwood.

He sat down, leaning against it and she found herself straddling his lap again. Her hands wrapped around the back of his head and she kissed him with an urgency she could never remember possessing. She could feel the heat wash over her body as her hands searched every part of his torso. God, she was going to miss him.

When the passion reached a level that Tommy felt was too much, he placed his hands on Red's shoulders, "We gotta stop."

She knew what he was telling her, but it felt like her whole body wanted more. She understood why he put a pause to everything, and she appreciated it, but damn if she didn't want more. She slid to the side and curled up next to him against the driftwood, "I don't want you to go."

"Lord knows I don't want to go. I would kill to stay here with you."

"I wish you could." She supplied, "When do you get more leave?"

"I have four days left, but I'm keeping them as a cushion, just in case I need them for something." He shared.

"That's a smart plan." She shared, understanding his reasoning, but wanting to spend more time with him.

"Within the next month, I should accrue about four more days, so we can probably meet up in a few months for a week somewhere." He offered, and then thought about it, "Don't get me wrong, I like your brother and this place is beautiful."

She interrupted him, "But you want to be able to fall asleep together, like we used to before it became romantic, and you don't think Steve would handle that real well?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth." She could hear a laugh in his voice.

"Don't worry, I'll work on him over the next few months, but I agree. We should meet up somewhere fun."

Tommy stared at the stars, and changed the subject, "You remember when you first came to Silver Pond and didn't know anything about the stars."

"Yeah, the first set of stars you showed me were Orion's belt." She supplied, as she pointed them out.

"When I have night duty, I always look up at Orion's belt and I think that maybe you are looking at it too." He paused, pulling her a little closer, "I know that it's daytime for you when it's nighttime for me, but I like to think that."

"I always think of you when I look at his belt." She supplied, laying her head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat. He ran his fingers through her hair, and they sat like that for another hour, just enjoying holding one another.

It was almost four in the morning when they quietly let themselves back in the house and went their separate ways.

Steve heard his sister on the stairs, looked at his alarm clock, cringed at the hour, rolled over, and went back to sleep.


	56. Chapter 56: Goodbyes

Steve woke at his usual time and went about his morning routine of swimming and running. Upon his return, the house was still dead quiet. This didn't surprise him, as he knew two of the young adults hadn't gone to bed until four in the morning.

He decided it would be nicest to wake everyone up with the smell of a hot breakfast. He started the coffee, and then followed it with sausage, pancakes and eggs. Slowly, and one by one, the rest of the house occupants matriculated to the kitchen, his sister being the last one. He could tell she was still dead to the world, her hair in a state of complete disarray and her pajama top was on inside out, "Late night?"

He had at least waited until Frog and Tommy were setting the table on the lanai. She poured the hot water over her tea bag and looked at the smirk on his face; she knew he heard her climb the stairs earlier that morning, "You are terribly chipper for this early in the morning."

He teased her even more, "You were up earlier than I was."

She rolled her eyes at him and continued to dunk her tea bag in the hot water, it was too early.

Eventually they all sat down to a proper breakfast and chatted through the entire meal. Steve knew the guys needed to get to the airport for their flight at noon, but that didn't stop them from helping clean up after the meal. When the dishes were washed, dried, and put away, they went to get cleaned up.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve pulled up to the drop off zone of the airport and everyone piled out of the truck. Frog shook hands with Steve and thanked him for his hospitality. Steve liked these guys and wanted them to know they were always welcome, "You guys ever want to come back, our house is always available to you both."

"Thank you, sir." Frog responded and turned to Azucena. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her into a giant bear hug, "Thanks Red, I've enjoyed seeing you. Let's do this again."

"Sounds like a plan Frog." She hesitated to let go; it felt like she was letting go of her past. The wonderful parts of her past had come to visit, but she wasn't ready to say goodbye. She knew saying goodbye to Tommy was going to be harder. Once Frog released her, he headed into the terminal to check in and give her and Tommy a few moments of privacy.

Tommy looked to Steve, "Thank you for everything."

"Like I told Frog, you guys are always welcome here."

Tommy shook Steve's hand, and the moment the handshake ended Steve walked back to the truck to give them a few moments of privacy.

Tommy wrapped his arms around Azucena, and she looked up at him, her eyes misting over, "Let me know you got back safe?"

"Of course." He pulled her to him, he didn't want to let go and neither did she. It had taken them a long time to get to this point and she didn't want it to end, but she had to be realistic, he had a job and she had school.

He leaned down and kissed her, long and hard. When it was over, he pressed his forehead to hers, "I'm gonna miss you."

"Me too." She responded, she could feel the sadness in the pit of her stomach. She missed him already. "Be safe."

"You too. I'm going to give you one more hug and then I have to turn and go. I can't make this hurt more than it already does." He whispered to her. He pulled her tightly against his body, and he heard the slight sad sound of a sniffle.

His arms held her tightly and expressed all the caring and love of their entire lives with one another, and then his arms disappeared from around her waist, she saw the sad look on his face as he turned around and disappear into the terminal. She watched his form until she couldn't see him through the glass.

She wiped away the tears that had trickled from her eyes, took a deep breath, turned and climbed into the truck. Steve was nice enough to give her a few moments to collect herself, he knew the pain of saying goodbye to Catherine, so he could imagine the hole in her stomach at the moment.

As Steve maneuvered the airport traffic, she was the first to speak up, "When do you go?"

"Tomorrow night." He supplied, keeping his eyes on the road, "You gonna be okay?"

"Of course, I'll be fine." She responded as she looked over at him.

"You and Cath are the only two that know what's going on."

"What about Danny?" she inquired. If Steve didn't tell him, she knew Danny would be hurt. As she had watched them over the time she had been here, she observed they were like brothers.

"I'm going to leave him a note."

"Oh sweet Lord, the whole time you're gone he is going to bitch that you left him a note." She exclaimed.

Steve pulled his eyes from the road and looked over at his sister, confusion clouding his features, "What are you talking about?"

"It's Danny, he's going to be hurt that you didn't trust him enough to tell him and the fact that you are telling him in a note." She paused, reflecting on what she knew of Danny, "You might as well be breaking up with him over text message."

"Do people actually do that?" questioned Steve, trying to change the subject. He knew she was right, but he wasn't ready to admit that he was afraid to tell Danny. Danny would get all emotional and tell him to be safe. Danny would tell him everything that could possibly go wrong with his plan. Or even worse, he would mother hen him and try to force him to keep him apprised of his situation once he reached Beijing. Stealth was how the mission had to be completed and Danny was anything but stealth.

She knew what he was doing, he was changing the subject. The topic had hit too close to home, so he changed the subject. She was an expert on that, "Why are you leaving him a note?"

"He will over-react to the plan and I don't have the time or the energy to hash it out with him."

"Fair enough." At least he was being honest, she thought to herself, "What do you want me to say when he calls?"

"Tell him it was last minute, and I'll let him know the minute I get home."

She tucked this information away for future reference and looked out the window. As she watched Sunday traffic fly by, her mind drifted back to Tommy. She wasn't prepared for the rock that hit her stomach when he let go of her and walked away. It was harder than when they said goodbye to one another the prior summer. She had always worried about him and Frog, but now it was a different type of worry.

Steve interrupted her thoughts, "Can you drive me to the base tomorrow night?"

"Of course, that isn't a problem at all. I don't have to work tomorrow." She responded, pushing thoughts of Tommy from her mind.

"While I'm gone, I want you to use the truck; take it to work and classes." He stated. She found this odd and looked over at him, his face was completely serious.

"Why?"

"Two reasons, it gives the illusion that I am home if the truck is coming and going. And two, I would feel safer if you weren't using public transportation while I'm gone." She considered what he had just shared with her and then raised the concern she had when they first talked about this, "Do you think he is going to find out you have left the island and come after me?"

"No, I just don't trust other people. I know your schedule and when to expect you when I'm home. Without me here, I want to make sure you are secure and you driving the truck will reassure me that you are safe."

He was concerned for her safety. It was the first time he had said it out loud because he didn't want her to be worried. He figured WoFat hadn't come after them in the last six months and whatever he was doing in Beijing would more than likely keep him distracted.

"Okay, I can make that happen." She said, as she thought about Steve leaving. Suddenly she was nervous for him to leave, but she wasn't about to let him see it. She remembered his face the morning Joe told him he was going back to Japan. She could read the look of wanting to traipse through Japan with Joe to find Shelbourne. She wasn't about to hold him back from doing this. She prayed that he would find WoFat, arrested him, and then they could move on with their lives. She knew she would sleep better knowing he was behind bars.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve finished packing his bag, walked out onto the landing, and peered downstairs. He could see Azucena through the doorway to the dining room. Her books were spread out on the table in front of her and he could see she was deeply immersed in her Calculus homework. She had tried to stay out of his way while he packed, he couldn't decide if she didn't want to get in the way or if it was too much emotionally for her to see him pack.

He almost felt like he was abandoning her, but he reminded himself that she was an adult and the purpose of this trip was to find WoFat and put him in prison. Once that happened, their lives would be much less complicated, and he knew she would feel safer. Hell, he would feel safer.

He thought back to the day he brought her home from the hospital, she was timid and shy around him. Now they teased each other like he did with Mary. They were comfortable enough with one another to have some pretty awkward and uncomfortable conversations. He honestly couldn't imagine his life without her in it.

He ambled down the stairs with his bags in hand, "Bout ready kiddo?"

She put her pencil down on her notebook, and looked up at him, "Whenever you are."

She stood from the kitchen table, grabbed her purse, and they climbed into the truck. It was dark out and the traffic was light, so they made it to the base quicker than either of them anticipated. It might have seemed quicker because they were both quietly dreading this.

She hadn't realized how much of a security blanket Steve had become for her. He helped chase away that nightmares that were few and far between anymore, he laughed and joked with her, and it was comforting to know she had a family.

Steve hadn't realized how much he enjoyed Azucena's presence until this moment. He had gotten so used to her popping in and out of his day, that the prospect of not talking to her for stretches at a time was unnerving. He was also worried if she would do okay without him around. He had no doubt she would, she was a strong, capable, young woman, but he still worried. He considered that this is what it must feel like to be a parent.

He pulled into the parking lot on base and turned the truck off. He looked over to her, "I won't be able to call you for a few days. If you need something, Danny's always around."

"No worries, just be safe." She responded.

"You sure you're good with this?" he questioned.

"Yeah, just do me a favor."

"What's that?"

"Make sure you come home." She had lost so many people in her life. Him leaving and not coming home was an unspoken fear she had been fighting the last few days. She had been easily distracted with Frog and Tommy in town, but this had been weighing on her heavily for the last 24 hours.

"Will do." He answered and smiled at her. He opened the door to the truck and grabbed his bags from the back. As she reached the driver's side of the truck he held his arms open to hug her, "Come'ere kiddo."

He was surprised how fiercely she hugged him, but then he thought about her request and everyone she had lost in her lifetime. This had to be terrifying for her, "I'm going to be back before you know it."

"You better be, or I will hunt you down myself." She responded, her chin resting on his shoulder. He could hear the tears in her words. He could tell she was concerned for his safety, but putting on a brave face, "Love you kiddo."

"Love you too." She said, and then she pulled back. He knew she would, she was always the first one to cut off contact with people. He almost thought it was a self-preservation technique, never allowing herself to get too close to people. Her reaction tonight showed him how terribly important he was to her.

He held the truck door open for her as she climbed into the cab of the truck, he closed the door, and watched as she drove off the base.

Tears streaked down her face as she tried to focus on the road in front of her, but also watched her brother shrink in the rearview mirror. She was still angry with God about the Woods situation, but she took a pause from her anger, "Please watch over him and keep him safe, Lord. I can't lose another person. Amen."

She pulled into the driveway, ran into the house, set the alarm system, and focused on her studies until she was fighting to keep her eyelids open. She finally climbed the stairs and tried to fall asleep, only to stare at the ceiling with worry for another two hours. Then she finally passed out from exhaustion.


	57. Chapter 57: Coming Home

Azucena awoke to the ringing of her phone, the shrill ring pulled her from sleep. She blindly reached for it and when she finally located it on her nightstand, she opened her eyes. She wasn't surprised when the name on the screen read "Danny Williams."

"Morning Danny." She mumbled, as she continued to lay in her bed with her eyes closed.

"What the hell is wrong with that brother of yours?" he exclaimed, and then he began one of his famous rants, "He left me a note! A stupid note, telling me that he is running off to find WoFat and to keep my eye on you."

"That sounds like Steve." She said, as she stared up at the ceiling.

"When did he dream up this grand plan of his? Did he even think about the consequences of him leaving? What about you? What about Five-0?"

"I think this is pretty important to him Danny."

"I know it is, I'm just pissed as hell with him at the moment." Danny confessed.

"I think you are allowed to be."

"Did he leave this morning?"

"Last night." She answered.

"Do we know where he is going?" he quizzed further, the irritation with Steve's disappearing act still prevalent in his voice.

"I'm not allowed to know or say."

"How long has this been in the works?"

"Long enough." Was all she could answer. She hated the fact that she wasn't allowed to tell anyone anything, but that was so Steve stayed safe. She needed him to come home alive and from Danny's reaction, he needed Steve to come home alive as well. This was going to be harder than she expected, but she really didn't know too much.

"You doin' okay?" he asked, she could hear the genuine concern in his voice.

"I'm good Danny."

"Next time you hear from that frustrating brother of yours, you let me know, all right?"

"Will do." She responded.

"You want to come over for dinner tonight? I have Grace tonight and she would be thrilled if you could join us." he questioned.

She smiled at the simple gesture and recognized the fact that Danny was worried, "That would be nice. What time and what can I bring?"

"We're doing homemade spaghetti, so if you want to bring garlic bread, that would be perfect." He paused, "As for time, why don't you come over around 5:30."

"Looking forward to it Danny." She responded, genuinely.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

As the next two weeks passed, Azucena dined regularly with the Williams family. Grace became more and more enamored with Auntie Cena and Danny really began to feel like she was his little sister as well. About every four days, she would get a quick call from Steve checking in on her. He would never tell her where he was or what he was doing. She just prayed he stayed safe and would come home soon.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Azucena was dead to the world when she heard the ringing of her cell phone. It immediately pulled her from her sleep and she could feel her heart hammering in her chest. She reached for her phone sitting on the nightstand and saw the bright red numbers on her alarm clock read 2:13. She picked up her cell phone and saw Tommy's picture staring back at her. She hit the accept button and brought the phone to her ear, "Tommy?"

"Red." His voice was heavy and thick, she swore she could hear tears.

"Tommy, what's wrong?" Panic gripped her heart. She sat up in bed and ran her hand through her hair.

"He passed away."

"Who passed?" panic in her voice, it felt like death was a constant unwelcome visitor in her life.

"Granddad."

"Oh Tommy, I'm so sorry." She was slightly relieved, but saddened at the same time. Tommy's Granddad had become an important figure in his life after they lost his dad. She knew that this was like losing his father all over again. However, the man was 92 years old and worked daily on the family farm.

"Charlie went over to the farm this morning, like always. He couldn't find Granddad. He went into the house and found him still in bed."

"He passed in his sleep?" she asked, relief in her voice. As sad as it was to lose this man, at least he didn't suffer.

"Yeah."

"I'm so sorry, but at least he didn't suffer. When's the funeral? Will you be able to get home for it?"

"Yeah, I'm leaving here in about an hour to catch a flight home. I've been granted a week of bereavement. The funeral is in two days."

"Good," she had grabbed her tablet and started looking for flights home. She wasn't going to let him do this alone and his Granddad had been like a grandfather to her as well. It was the least she could do to go home and pay her respects. "I'm looking for flights now."

"You don't have to come home Red. I know it will be expensive." He answered, but secretly hoping to see her and have her with him during this sad time.

"Your Granddad was like the grandfather I never had. Of course, I'm coming home to pay my respects."

"You can stay at the house, Mom won't mind."

"You sure? I'm positive I can find another place to crash at." She knew their house would be overrun with people stopping in to pay their condolences on the loss of Evelyn's father, but she was also wanting to see Tommy.

"You can crash with me." He answered, looking forward to wrapping his arms around her and them actually being able to fall asleep together in a real bed.

"Once I find a flight, I'll text you the information. Sound good?"

"Yeah, that works." He responded, and then realizing how much it meant to him that she was willing to come home for this, "Thanks for coming home Red."

"You would do the same thing for me." She responded, knowing he would go to the ends of the earth for her. "See you in a few hours."

"Sounds good." He responded and disconnected. She continued to scour flights online until she found one that was affordable and relatively soon. She purchased the ticket online and then called Steve's phone. She knew she would get his voicemail. He had checked in two days ago. She knew it would be at least another two until she heard from him again.

"Hey, it's me. I just wanted to let you know that I am flying home today for a funeral. Tommy's granddad passed away and I just found out about it. The funeral is in two days. I'll have my phone on me. Give me a holler if you need anything." She rattled off the flight information and then hung up.

She had seven hours until she needed to be at the airport. She was awake, so decided it was best to start packing.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

She walked to the luggage claim, and there stood Tommy and Charlie. They were duplicates of each other. The only difference being, Charlie was showing a little more gray hair and Tommy's hair was much shorter than his brother's.

Tommy pulled her closely and held her to him, "I'm so glad you came."

"I'm sorry you lost him." She squeezed him tighter, "He was such a good man."

He eventually loosened his grip on her and she pulled back. She glanced over at Charlie, who was watching them. She could see the sadness etched in his already hardened features. The life of a farmer was tough, and Charlie was walking proof of it. He was tall and skinny, but his old faded Levi's and button-down flannel shirt hid the muscles that kept the cattle in line.

She walked over to Charlie and he pulled her into a hug, "Hey stranger."

She hugged him, "Hey you. Sorry about your Granddad."

"He lived a long time."

"Yes, he did." She answered, as she pulled back from him. The three of them stood at the luggage carousel waiting for her bag to arrive. "Did you have to wait long on me?"

"Nah, Charlie picked me up and then we went and grabbed a bite while we waited for your flight to come in." explained Tommy, as he pulled her suitcase off the conveyor belt. The three of them exited the airport and walked to Charlie's truck.

Tommy threw her suitcase into the truck bed with his, and they all climbed into the cab of the truck. Azucena sat in the middle of the three of them and Charlie drove them home. As they drove the old two-lane highway towards Silver Pond, she could feel the pull of home sweeping over her. The smell of the dirt in the fields, the wind gently pushing the old truck along the highway, and the rolling hills lined with cattle. She was happy to be going home, even if it was for a funeral.


	58. Chapter 58: Returning Home

Charlie slowed the truck to the city speed limit as they drove through town. It was a small town, and most people would miss it if they blinked. There were no stop lights or stop signs as the highway curved through town. Azucena had been gone almost nine months and the place still looked the same.

They passed the gas station and the grain elevator, and the road curved to the main street of town. She snuck a quick peek at the diner as they drove past. There was a small pang of sadness in her chest; it had been repainted, but it was still named "The Main Street Diner." Charlie noticed her glancing at the place, "He's kept it pretty much the same. Food is still good, but not as good as when you cooked."

"Charlie you flatter me, but it definitely needed repainting." She conceded. They turned left down Indigo Lane and there were both their homes. The white ranch house with the large bay window that Azcuena had grown up in and right next door was the two story, blue Victorian that Tommy had grown up in. A chain link fence ran the length of the backyards. Charlie pulled into the driveway and stopped in front of the detached garage.

The three of them piled out of the pickup and the back porch door opened to reveal Mrs. Roberts. Her eyes were still a little puffy from crying, but that didn't stop her from running to her son, "Tommy!"

She pulled him into a fierce hug and he hugged her back, "It's so good to see you!"

"How you doin' Ma?" he asked, as he embraced her.

"Oh I'm much better now, all my babies are home." She whispered as tears slipped down her cheeks. She pulled back from him and took in his appearance, "You're too skinny. Maybe between me and Red here, we can get some meat on these bones."

Azucena had stood in the background, watching Tommy and his mother reunite. If she was being honest with herself, she was a little jealous. She missed Jack and Clara and would give anything to hug them and hear their voices one more time. Suddenly Mrs. Roberts had pulled her into a hug, "So glad you could come home, my dear. It's so good to see you. You are looking beautiful, like always."

"Thank you, Mrs. Roberts, I'm so sorry about your father." Offered Azucena, she could feel the warmth and love coming off Mrs. Roberts in waves. She loved living with Steve in Hawaii, but this was home. More than she had ever realized. There was a peacefulness that had washed over her as she stood in the driveway surrounded by these people and she knew she was loved. These were her people.

"He lived a long and happy life, so we are celebrating that. We aren't dwelling on the sadness."

The reunion was interrupted by Tommy's youngest sister bounding out of the house, her long dark braids flying behind her, "Tommy!"

She launched herself at her brother and he lifted her into his arms and spun her around, "Mae!"

He eventually placed her on the ground, "You must have grown three inches!"

"Two and a half." She offered, pride in her little eight-year-old voice. He noticed the braces that lined her teeth, "Let's see them."

She smiled wide at him, and he encouraged her, "Looking straighter than ever!"

She looked over at Azucena and launched herself into the young woman, "Red, I didn't know you were coming home too!"

"I have missed you so much!" she told the young girl as she hugged her tightly. She wasn't lying when she said it. Grace had instantly found a place in Azucena's heart, but Mae was the little girl that made it so easy to relate to Grace.

The five of them eventually matriculated into the house, and Tommy questioned, "Where are Sarah and Jimmy?"

"Your brother is up at the ranch helping Nick move the cattle into the North pasture. I let him have the day off school, so of course, he wanted to be up on the ranch. He said it would make him feel closer to Grandad." Explained Mrs. Roberts, as she bustled through the dining room and into the living room. "Sarah took the day off work and is grocery shopping. I was just getting ready to prepare dinner."

"What can we help with?" asked Azucena, she had been sitting all day, so the call of helping in the kitchen was music to her ears.

"I made some potato salad earlier in the day, and I was going to cook hamburgers. Do you want to start on the baked beans?"

"I'll help Red!" Mae supplied, as the young girl took Azucena by the hand and they wandered into the kitchen. They figured Tommy and his mom would want to catch up, as the beans would take a little while.

An hour later, all five of the Roberts siblings, Azucena, and Mrs. Roberts sat down to dinner. The evening meal was loud and lively. There was teasing, joking, good memories shared, and most of all, love. This was what Azucena remembered and she missed it.

She loved Hawaii and living with Steve, but meals like this were a major part of her growing up years and this brought back a multitude of happy memories. The loud, teasing banter of Tommy's family put her at ease and made her heart happy.

When the meal was over, everyone pitched in to clean up the table and kitchen. Azcuena and Sarah hand washed and rinsed all the dishes, leaving Mae to hand dry everything. Tommy and Jimmy cleared the table and dished up the leftovers. Charlie wished everyone a good night and headed back to his place. His morning would start earlier than everyone else's.

When the last dish was cleaned and put away Tommy, Mrs. Roberts, Sarah, and Azucena went out and sat on the back porch. The April air still had a chill in it and Azucena loved it. She had donned one of her favorite sweatshirts and was curled up next to Tommy on the porch swing.

Sarah regaled Tommy and Azucena with stories of her first year teaching kindergartener and Mrs. Roberts shared the latest town gossip.

Their conversation was interrupted when Mae came out onto the back porch talking on Azucena's cell phone. The young girl held the phone out, "It's for you."

Mrs. Roberts was horrified that Mae had answered her phone, but Azucena just laughed, "Thanks Mae."

She took the phone and read the screen, _Steve_. She stood up from the swing and walked out into the backyard for privacy, "Steve?"

"You make it to Silver Pond okay?" he asked, she could hear the concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I didn't expect to hear from you for another two days. Everything okay?" She could feel the panic rising in her chest. He had changed his pattern and that didn't sit easily in her mind.

"Of course, things are going well. I got your voicemail and wanted to make sure you got there safe. How are Tommy and his family doing?"

"Mr. Koester lived a long life. I think everyone is happy he passed in his sleep and didn't suffer." She had wandered over to the chain link fence that divide her old yard from Tommy's.

"How are you doing? I assume he was a big part of your life as well." Steve questioned.

"I'm okay, being back home with everyone is nice. It's sad he passed. I hope you understand I had to come home and pay my respects. He was like the grandfather I never had." She hoped he wasn't angry, but these people were a big part of her life.

"No, I completely understand." Steve said, his voice soft. He knew the people of Silver Pond were important to her and Tommy's family was probably the closest thing she had to family still living in Silver Pond.

"Think you'll be able to come home soon?" Azucena asked, she knew she couldn't ask where he was and what was going on, but this seemed like a safe question.

"We're right on his tail, I think we'll have him within the next few days." His voice sounded optimistic to her.

"Good, I'll be happy to see you when you get home."

"When do you fly back?"

"Three days, funeral is the day after tomorrow." She supplied.

"Will you send me your flight information?" he requested.

"Yeah, I'll text it to you later this evening. Will that work?"

"Of course, hey look, I gotta go. Be safe, tell Tommy hi for me, and sorry for his loss."

"Will do, take care of yourself." She paused, "Love you Steve."

"Love you too kiddo." He disconnected. She looked over at her old house, the house that held all the memories of her childhood. They were mostly happy memories. She thought about all the twists and turns life had brought her way; she was thankful for Steve. She never would have imagined she had a brother, or the way he was brought into her life, but she couldn't imagine her life without him.

She heard footsteps in the grass behind her and felt hands slide around her waist. She felt Tommy pull her against him and she took in a deep breath. She loved the way he smelled, it wasn't his cologne, it was his scent. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, he's just checking on me. Making sure I made it here in one piece." She leaned back against Tommy and placed her hands on top of his, "He said to tell you hello and was sorry to hear about the loss of your Granddad."

"He's a good man."

"I agree. I was just thinking of how blessed I am to have him in my life." She yawned.

"Sleepy?" He asked, resting his chin on her shoulder, almost whispering into her ear.

"Surprisingly, yes." She closed her eyes as she answered, "I couldn't sleep on the plane, so I worked on some of my papers that are due in a few weeks and got some reading done for next week."

"I promised Mae that we would take her and Jimmy fishing tomorrow. Get them out of my mom's hair. So, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get a little rest."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Am I sleeping in Charlie's old room?" she questioned.

"I don't see why you can't sleep with me." He whispered into her ear. She could feel her heart race a little at his words, but she could feel the fatigue pull at the rest of her body. "Sounds like a plan to me."

They entered the house and locked the door behind them, most everyone had headed off to their own bedrooms, except for Mrs. Roberts. She stood in the kitchen taking her vitamins. Tommy walked over to her, hugged her and kissed her on the cheek, "Night Ma."

"Night Tommy, night Azucena, both of you get some rest."

They grabbed their bags from the living room and slipped down the basement stairs. Jimmy's bedroom door was shut, but they were still quiet. The moment they stepped foot in Tommy's room, it was like they were transported back to being kids. His room looked exactly like it had always looked and there was a sense of comfort in that.

They both opened their suitcases and pulled out pajamas, Tommy looked over to her, "You want the bathroom first?"

"Nah, go ahead." She offered, suddenly she was slightly nervous. He left the room and she quickly changed into her pajamas, a royal blue tank top and short set. She hadn't even thought about packing anything remotely sexy, as that was honestly the farthest thing from her mind. She squatted over her suitcase and dug out her toiletries, there was a soft knock on the door. She called out over her shoulder, "Come in."

Tommy saw her squatting over her suitcase and then stand up to her full height in the pajama shorts. It was moments like this that reminded him that she had legs for days and she was gorgeous. Grabbing her toothbrush and toothpaste, she headed to the bathroom.

When she returned, he was in boxer shorts and an old t-shirt. A part of her skipped back in time to when he would sneak into her window and let her fall asleep in his arms, but during those nights he was wearing pajama pants or gym shorts. Jack would have killed him if he were in boxer shorts. She smiled at the change in his comfort level and she was happy with that, but she was also tired, exhausted if she was being honest.

She pulled him to her and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, "I want so much to make out with you, but. . ."

He cut her off before she could continue, "You're exhausted and really want to sleep."

She could hear the smirk in his voice, and giggled a little herself, "Yeah, you nailed it."

"Don't feel bad, I'm right there with you. Let's just sleep tonight." He offered, and she was slightly relieved.

He pulled back the covers, she flipped the light switch, he crawled into bed and held the covers back for her. She crawled in next to him, placing her head on his chest and deeply inhaling his scent, she closed her eyes.

"Red?" he whispered, running his fingers through her hair.

"Yeah?"

"This feels so nice."

"I agree." She answered; she felt safe wrapped in his arms. All was right in her world.


	59. Chapter 59: Fishing and Dead Bodies

Azucena awoke the next morning in position of little spoon, Tommy's arm wrapped around her torso. She could feel his breath on her neck and smiled as small puffs of air from Tommy's breathing gently moved her hair. She enjoyed the simplicity of the moment, it made her heart happy.

Eventually she felt Tommy stretch alongside her little spoon, "Morning."

"Hey." He responded, as he finished stretching and then curled back around her, "you're toasty warm."

"I've had a good blanket for most of the night. How'd you sleep?" she asked, as she started to turn around to face him.

"I slept like the dead, you?"

"Couldn't have been any better." She gazed into his still sleepy brown eyes, they were full of love.

"Glad to hear it." He leaned forward and kissed her. It started as a soft and gentle kiss but transformed into urgent kisses and searching hands; one hand finding its way to her hair and the other running along her backside. She quickly became an equal participant and ran her hands along his chest until she could tug his shirt up to reveal his chiseled chest.

The moment he paused to remove his shirt, he heard footsteps overhead. Someone was awake and moving around the main floor of the house. They paused, like teenagers caught, but then promptly went back to what they had been doing, giggling as they continued.

It wasn't too much longer until there was another set of footsteps upstairs and Azucena paused, "We have to stop."

"They're upstairs."

"Yeah, but I know Mae and she thinks you hung the moon." She smiled and ran her thumb along his cheek, "It will only be a matter of time before she comes bounding in this room to ask you when we are going fishing. We should both have all our clothes on."

"I don't want to rush you, but man, . . ."

She spoke up before he could continue, "It would be nice to have privacy and not worry about your family or my brother walking in on us doing _whatever_?"

"Yeah." He agreed and pulled her closer to him. "Can we just stay like this for a little while longer?"

"I love that idea."

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve and a team from the Tokyo police department descended upon the hotel suite. The team kicked in the door of the room and quickly dispersed to the various rooms of the hotel suite. Various shouts of "Clear" could be heard throughout the activity.

It wasn't until someone reached the bathroom that Steve heard anything else, "Commander, you need to see this."

Steve made his way back to the second bathroom in the hotel suite and was surprised with the amount of blood spatter that painted the walls and mirror of the bathroom. The bathtub was filled with bloody water and a corpse. Upon closer inspection, Steve could see that that corpse was missing its hands and head. He looked at the mess in disgust and horror. WoFat had inflicted pain and damage on this poor soul. "All right guys, let's see if we can get an ID on this body. See what the DNA brings up for us."

"Will do, Commander." The officer in charge of the police team responded.

Steve walked out into the living room of the hotel suite. He was certain they were going to be able to grab him when they made it to this hotel, but they were too late. Another person was dead and WoFat was in the wind. He was ready for this to be over and he was ready to go back home. After seeing the devastation in the hotel bathroom, he wasn't going to stop until WoFat was found.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Azucena and Mae had found two large flat rocks to set their fishing poles and tackle box on and sat down to determine which lure would be best. Mae, of course, picked out the brightest colored lure in the tackle box and handed it Azucena, "I want to use this one."

"All right." Answered Azucena, as she threaded the fishing line through the lure and tied it off. She handed the pole back to Mae, "Go down to that rock over there and cast off. I'll join you in a minute."

Azucena made quick work of threading a lure onto her line and wandering over to the large stone next to the little girl. They sat on the stones, enjoying the spring sun shining on their faces, and just chatted away. Mae shared everything about school, her friends, how sad she was about losing her Granddad, and even asked Azucena if she liked her knew brother and what he was like.

Fishing with Mae was never dull or quiet and that suited Azucena just fine. She enjoyed listening to the little girl ramble, and occasionally, Azucena snuck a peek at Tommy who was a few stones down catching up with his younger brother. This was the perfect way to spend a day back in Silver Pond.

The excitement started when Mae had a slight tug on her line, her voice squealed with excitement "Red, I got something!"

Azucena coached the little girl and helped her steady herself on the rocks as she fought against the fish on the other end of the line. Mae was a wisp of a thing, and they were on the edge of the rocks that lined the lake, so it came as no surprise that when the fish gave one hard tug that Mae went right into the water, fishing pole and all. Azucena made no hesitation about going in after her and grabbing her and pulling the little girl to shore. As they sat on the rocks, drench in lake water from head to toe, Mae spoke up, "I still have the pole."

"That you do kiddo!" and they both laughed, as Azucena felt the panic drain from her body. Watching Mae go into the lake scared her to her core.

Tommy and Jimmy made it over to the stones the girls were sitting on. Tommy knelt in front of his little sister, who was still laughing, "You okay Mae?"

She continued to giggle and nodded her head yes. He glanced up at Azucena and could see the panic draining from her face, "You okay?"

She nodded, relief still washing over her. They all sat on the rocks for a few minutes before Mae asked to have a new lure placed on her fishing line. The four of them fished for another hour, Mae and Azucena in sopping wet clothes, but just enjoying their time together.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve stood under the hot spray of the shower, trying to wash away the grime of the day and the memory of the dead body in the bathtub. After the crime scene unit arrived, they were able to test the blood and discovered the identity of the dead body in the bathtub, _Hiro Noshimuri_.

Steve fought through so many thoughts when the name was announced, but there was no doubt in his mind that WoFat was responsible. His only other question was if Joe's actions had anything to do with Hiro being killed.

Steve's mind skipped back to the cell phone footage of Joe threatening Hiro at gunpoint. Hearing Hiro tell Joe that the only person WoFat is afraid of is Shelbourne. Shelbourne killed WoFat's father.

Steve's mind skipped forward, was Joe safe from WoFat? As frustrating as Joe was, and as often as Joe had lied to Steve and his sisters, Joe was still part of their family. As messed up as their family life was, Joe was still part of many happy memories. Now he was even more concerned for Joe's safety.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Eventually the foursome walked back home, Mae riding piggyback on Tommy. Her excuse of squishy shoes caused him to take pity on the little girl and he pulled her up on his back.

When Mae and Azucena walked into the house damp and smelling of the lake, Mrs. Roberts couldn't help but laugh at the two of them, "You two look like drowned rats! Do I even want to know?"

"I'm going to let Mae tell that story, while I go take a shower." Azucena responded, handing her dead cellphone to Tommy, "Will you disassemble that and put it in dry rice for me?"

Tommy acquiesced and listened to his little sister regale their mother with her story of the fish that got away and the small swim she took trying to keep it on the line.


	60. Chapter 60, The Gas Station

**For all those who continue to read, thank you! I've been working towards this angle for a while and it took me a while to get here, but now it's probably going to be a bumpy ride. Notes are always appreciated but never required. Thanks! ~ Avy73**

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The morning of the funeral arrived, and the Roberts' house was a flurry of activity. Azucena and Sarah had taken over the kitchen and were preparing a proper breakfast for the family, while Mrs. Roberts tried to rope Mae into sitting still long enough for her to do her hair. Tommy and Jimmy had just returned from helping Charlie at the ranch and were currently getting cleaned up. It was quite chaotic. Azucena listened to the sounds of the Roberts house and tucked them away in her memory banks for future mornings back in Hawaii.

By the time the service rolled around, everyone was dressed in black. Azucena had donned a black, knee length skirt and a short sleeved, cowl-necked, black sweater. When she slipped on her black high heels, she looked Tommy almost in the eye.

The church was packed with people when they arrived, and folks milled about offering their condolences in the loss of Evelyn's father. Azucena stood back and offered silent support to Tommy and his family during this time. Eventually, their family was ushered to the front pew of the church and they sat through the service. As the service concluded, the family and the funeral attendees all rode to the cemetery and watched the internment of the casket.

The family returned home, and members of the community congregated at the house to grieve with the family. Azucena made herself useful helping lay out food and refreshing people's drinks as they shared memories of Evelyn's father. At one point, Charlie approached Azucena, "Red, do we have anymore ice? Looks like the freezer is empty and there are no bags in the freezer in the garage."

"I'll run up to the gas station and grab a few bags. Can I borrow the keys to your truck?"

"Of course, thanks for doing this." He said, as he handed his keys over to his brother's girlfriend.

"No worries, I'll be back soon. Tell Tommy where I went." she responded, as she moved between mingling people and headed towards the front door. She walked out to the truck, jumped in, and started the engine.

She drove Charlie's truck to the gas station and parked on the side of the building, where the ice bin was located. She ran inside and paid the cashier for five bags of ice. She exited the building and rounded the corner back to Charlie's truck and opened the ice bin, she bent over and pulled one of the bags from the bin. Before she could stand up straight, she felt a presence next to her, a sharp electric zap, and then darkness.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve stood in the electronic forensic team's office of the Tokyo police department, reviewing maps and staring over the shoulder of a young detective as he reviewed WoFat's financial information (or as much as could be found.) His focus was only distracted by the buzzing of his phone. Without even removing his eyes from the screen in front of him, he answered, "McGarrett."

"Steve, there's a problem." Catherine's panicked voice came over the line. Before he could respond, Catherine continued with her train of thought. "There's chatter that one of WoFat's alias just landed in Colorado about thirty minutes ago!"

"What?" Shock and dread coated his voice, his throat tightened. His heart hammered in his chest.

"I pulled up the airport terminal footage and it's WoFat. He stole a rental car and then abandoned it about thirty miles from the airport in the direction of Kansas. All branches of Colorado law enforcement have an alert out for him, but they haven't located him yet."

Fear flooded his system, WoFat was headed directly for Azucena. Steve could feel it in his bones and he knew she wasn't safe. He had to reign in the terror that was rushing over him, focus on warning Azucena, and getting stateside. "Cath, do me a favor, call my sister and tell her what you know. I'm going to find the fastest way there. Tell her to call me as soon as possible."

"Will do." She responded and quickly disconnected to call Azucena. She rang the young woman multiple times, but all calls went directly to voicemail. Catherine knew this was a bad sign and could feel dread in the pit of her stomach.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve hung up, informed the gentlemen with him that WoFat was spotted in the United States, politely thanked them for all their help, and all but ran out of the precinct. He drove as fast as humanly possible to the base and requested to jump on the next flight that landed in the states. It didn't matter where, he just needed to be on the same continent.

He was told there was a flight, leaving in two hours for Edwards Airforce Base. California was manageable; while he waited, he rang Azucena's cellphone. It went straight to voicemail. That was a bad sign. He tried Tommy, they were more than likely together, and he just hoped he wasn't calling during the funeral.

After three rings Tommy answered, "Steve?"

"Where's Cena?" he demanded, trying to keep the panic and fear out of his voice. He could hear Tommy holler at someone, "Red back yet?"

"Nah man, she's been gone a while." Steve heard the response through the phone line and it felt like a punch to the gut. He knew the answer he heard was a sign that something had happened already.

Tommy responded back to Steve through the phone, "She ran up to the gas station to get some ice. She's been gone about fifteen minutes, which is too long. What's going on?"

"WoFat is headed her way." He ground out, anger building in his person.

"What?" Tommy panicked and then responded, "I'm on my way to the gas station. I'll call you the minute I find her."

"Do that." Responded Steve, as he hung up the phone. He held out hope that it was nothing, maybe she ran into a friend and started catching up with them and lost track of time. Or maybe she had a flat tire and was walking back to the house. He knew these weren't the case, but he had to think of something to distract himself from the horror of what could have happened.

His thoughts were interrupted by Catherine calling, "Did you get ahold of her? I can't reach her."

Catherine could hear the panic in her boyfriend's voice and her heart broke for him. She steeled herself for what she was about to tell Steve, "I couldn't get ahold of her, her phone went straight to voicemail."

"I'm having that same problem." He answered and was preparing to tell her what he had found out talking to Tommy, but she interrupted him.

"I called the Sherriff's office in Silver Pond and told them about WoFat. Told them that he would be coming after Azucena." She paused, took a deep breath and said, "Steve, when I was on the phone with them, they told me that there was an abduction at the local gas station. They sent me the crime scene footage. WoFat's men have her."

His world went silent, the only thing he could hear was his heart beating in his chest. His stomach might as well have fallen onto the floor of the airplane hangar; he was absolutely gutted.

He had traveled across the world to track down the man that had terrorized them. He had tried to do everything in his power to find this elusive man and arrest him. His mind quickly thought back to the dead body of Hiro Noshimuri in the bathtub of the hotel suite. He knew WoFat would torture her, but would he kill her? He didn't want to admit it to himself, but in his mind, he knew the answer. _Yes._

"Steve, are you there?" he heard Catherine's voice over the line. "Steve?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here Cath." He answered. She thought he sounded breathless, like the wind had been knocked out of him. She could only imagine the emotions running through his brain, and knowing Steve, he was feeling some form of guilt.

"What is the Sherriff doing in Silver Pond?" he questioned, trying to focus on the fact that a person had been abducted and not that it was his sister.

"He has issued a BOLO on the car and plastered pictures of the kidnappers all over the news. They are searching the surrounding communities as well. They shouldn't get too far. I'll keep in contact with the Sherriff's office. When will you be airborne?"

"In an hour, and I'll land at Edward's Airforce Base."

"I'll find a way to get you to Silver Pond from there, as fast as possible." She paused, "I can't imagine what you are thinking right now."

"Cath?" he paused, trying to remain calm, "just keep me grounded. Don't let me spin out on this one."

"Aye, aye, Sailor." She paused, "We are going to get her."

"Tommy's ringing through, I'll call you back." Steve responded.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Tommy grabbed Charlie and pulled him outside to the driveway, "Where's the fire, little brother?"

"Something's wrong with Red, we have to go find her."

"She went up to the gas station, she probably ran into someone and is catching up." Charlie responded, as he jogged after Tommy down the driveway. Tommy slid into Sarah's car that was parked in front of the house, Charlie climbed in the front seat. Tommy didn't even wait for Charlie to finish putting on his seatbelt as he peeled out of the neighborhood. "What's the deal? Who was on the phone?"

"Red's brother," explained Tommy, "there's a madman that has been haunting Red and Steve for the last few months. Steve was looking for him and apparently he's headed this way."

"What do you mean, a madman?" questioned Charlie. "You sound a bit overdramatic."

As Tommy turned the corner to the main road through town, both brothers saw the Sherriff's cars at the gas station, lights flashing in the late morning sun. Tommy fought back the urge to vomit. He sped down the street to the gas station and pulled in behind one of the officer's vehicles. He bolted from the car and ran towards Charlies truck. The passenger's side door was open. "Red? Red? Where are you?"

He was stopped by an officer, "Tommy, you have to stay behind the tape."

"Where is she Lewis? Where's Red?" Tommy's voice was panicked, and both the officer and Charlie could tell he was going to lose it shortly.

"We have camera footage of the guys who grabbed her, and we have a BOLO out on their car." He looked Tommy in the eye, waiting to see if he would make a mad dash for the pick-up. It wasn't but a second later, that Lewis and Charlie were pulling Tommy away from the truck as he screamed her name at the top of his lungs. He knew how dangerous WoFat was. He had heard the story from Red and heard about all the damage he had inflicted on her during their last encounter. They had to find her.

Charlie grabbed his brother by the neck to make him focus, "Look at me Tommy. Tommy, look at me!"

When Tommy pulled his eyes away from the truck, he saw the fear in his brother's eyes. Charlie was beginning to realize something major was going on, "Tommy, Lewis and the other officer's have put a BOLO out the car. They are going to find her."

Looking at his brother reminded him that he had to tell Steve. How was he going to tell him that his sister had been kidnapped? It sunk in even further, Red had been kidnapped and WoFat was headed this way. This was bad.


	61. Chapter 61: WoFat Arrives

Steve sat on the netted seat of the plane, surrounded by other soldiers, but feeling like he was alone in his own personal hell. He kept replaying Catherine and Tommy's words over and over in his head, _his men have her._

He could hear the fear and alarm in Tommy's voice. It sounded like the voice in Steve's head. He thought about how naïve he had been to travel around the world to track WoFat and not even think that WoFat was keeping tabs on him and his sister. Steve could go stealth mode, and he basically had, until he showed up in Tokyo. He assumed WoFat had someone keeping tabs on Azucena, but he doubted the person was physically watching her. Otherwise they would have grabbed her in Hawaii. They must have been monitoring her through her purchases or perhaps they were monitoring the airlines. All he knew was they had grabbed her.

The positive side to everything was that WoFat hadn't been on the ground too long. He couldn't have made it to Kansas before his men grabbed her. So right now, she was relatively safe. WoFat wouldn't allow his men to hurt her, he was saving that for himself. He prayed that the Sherriff and his men would find Azucena before WoFat made it to wherever they had her.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Azucena could hear sounds, and she could feel her hands were tied behind her back. Suddenly she recognized the pain in her side. It felt like her sweater was a brillo pad, rubbing against her skin. She let her mind roam for a moment, and she remembered bending over to pick up a bag of ice from the bin and then darkness. _What the hell happened?_

She opened her eyes and realized she was in a large building with loads of heavy equipment, and she could feel the pain in her side intensify. It felt like a small burn, especially when the fabric of her sweater rubbed against it. Someone must have used a taser on her or a stun gun. This was the only thing she could come up with, but who the hell would do this to her?

As she started to lean forward and work to free her hands, she realized two things. Her hands were held together by handcuffs, so there wasn't a chance she would be able to wiggle out of them. It wasn't shortly after she realized she was handcuffed that the two men who grabbed her walked back into the room.

"Wakey, wakey." Said the tall, skinny goon in a childish voice. She studied these two individuals, one tall and skinny while the other one was shorter. They were both dressed in black and had quite a few tattoos on their arms and hands. She realized that if she knew anything about gangs, their ink would probably give her some idea of who these guys were.

"Boss will be here soon, and we can get this show on the road." Said the short one to her, as he bent down and ran his hand under her chin. He was looking her over. Azucena panicked, it was a culmination of her hands being restrained, fear of not knowing what was going on, and this man lifting her face to look at him with his hand under her chin. She kicked out her leg and made contact with his knee, as she yelled, "Don't touch me!"

Short Man wasn't prepared for her reaction and her kick knocked him to the ground. He squealed in pain as he clutched his knee to his chest and simultaneously scooted away from Azucena. He wasn't certain what else she would do with him in such close proximity. However, any further action on Azucena's part was stopped when Tall and Skinny slapped her across the face with such a force that it knocked her whole body to the concrete floor. He kicked her in the stomach, stood over her and said, "It's only going to get worse, you little bitch."

Short Man, still cradling his knee, "Yeah, wait till our boss gets here. It's going to get really entertaining."

Azucena fought back the bile rising in her stomach from the kick. The pain overwhelmed her, but she was turning over their words in her mind. The only person she could think that would orchestrate something like this was WoFat and these guys had to be Yakuza members. She was terrified and angry at the same time. This was bad.

She watched as Tall and Skinny tried to help Short Man stand up, but Short Man wasn't able. As Azucena pushed herself into a seated position, she realized that she had inflicted some damage on Short Man and she thought that was good news for her. The only problem was, she could tell Tall and Skinny was giving her a wide berth. He didn't want her to have any opportunity to inflict any damage on him. He sat down on a table across the room from her and pulled out his phone. She could tell he was done engaging with her.

Short Man continued to cradle his knee and massage the pain in it. She watched him stretch it out and bend it. He was miserable and in any other instance, she would have felt bad about what she had done, but not today.

"So, when's WoFat getting here?" she asked Short Man.

"Not soon enough." He responded back, as he continued to massage his leg. Short Man started to scoot over to another table and eventually pulled himself up on one leg and sat on the table. The next five hours were spent with her captors playing on their phones and ignoring anything that came out of her mouth. She was stuck.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Based on the information Lt. Rollins had been able to give the Silver Pond Sherriff's department, Sherriff Jones had dispatched all his officers to drive all the backroads of the county, to see if there were any signs of WoFat or his men. Tommy and Charlie were basically trapped in the Sherriff's office, listening to the chatter on the police radio. There wasn't much they could do, and they wanted to know the instant they found her. Tommy was holding out hope they would find Red and this would all be an afterthought.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

WoFat had found the abandoned soap factory his men had informed him of and following their directions, drove to the back side of the building. He parked the car, pulled the small duffle bag out of the back seat, and entered the building.

He entered the room where his men and Azucena were camped out. He looked at his men and then his attention was focused on Azucena, he walked closer to her, "Well, well, well, looks like we meet again little sister."

"Careful boss, she's a fighter." Offered Tall and Skinny.

"Yeah, I think she busted my knee." Explained Short Man. WoFat looked to Short Man, "Go pull my car into the building so no one sees it."

"Boss, I can't walk. She messed my leg up real bad." Short Man complained. WoFat took in Short Man's words and opened the duffle bag in his hands, "I have something that might help with that."

WoFat pulled out a gun and shot Short Man right in the chest. He was dead on impact and Azucena watched in horror as Short Man's body slumped over on the table and then rolled onto the floor. She watched as blood drained out of his chest, seeped into his clothes, and pooled around his lifeless body. She sat there stunned.

WoFat looked to Tall and Skinny, "Go pull my car into the building so no one sees it."

"Yes, Sir." Said Tall and Skinny as he followed orders and all but ran from the room.

WoFat kept his distance from Azucena, he knew she was a fighter. He had no doubt she would find some way to try and injure him. He had a plan, but first he wanted to play with her a little. "Little sister, I've missed you."

Azucena was struggling to focus on her main threat, WoFat. She was still in shock from watching him shoot and kill Short Man. However, when she realized his attention was focused solely on her, she pulled her eyes from Short Man's dead body and looked WoFat directly in the eye.

"You know, my nose is back in working order, but I have to say, you did do a number on it during our last encounter."

She didn't engage with him, she just glared at him. Truthfully, she was terrified and was thankful at this moment that WoFat couldn't see her hands because she could feel them shaking with fear.

"Then I had to wait for our brother to grow antsy enough to come after me. That was a test of my patience, but well worth it." WoFat paused and walked over to the table Tall and Skinny had been sitting on. He set his duffle bag on the table and began to unload items from it. "After that I had to find a way to get you to leave the island. I knew you would never leave on your own accord, so I had to get creative."

He held his hands behind his back as he watched the impact his words had on her. He was enjoying this part of the game.

He could see the instant she understood what he was telling her, the color drained from her face and he could see her fighting back tears. The anger in her words made him smile, this was exactly what he wanted, she was flustered. "You killed Mr. Koester?"

"Oh my dear, I didn't kill the old man, my employees took care of him." He laughed, as he watched the anguish wash over the young woman, "But don't worry little sister, I told them not to make him suffer. It was quick and painless."

Her world was spinning, and she felt her stomach doing summersaults. Mr. Koester was dead because of her. She was the reason Tommy and his siblings had lost their Grandad. She could feel the tears of sadness and shame burn behind her eyes, but she wasn't going to allow WoFat to see her cry.

"Whereas the old man died a quick and painless death; you, little sister, are not going to be so fortunate." He said, as he pulled another item from his duffle bag. Azucena thought it was a gun, but when he pulled the trigger, it shot out electrodes that implanted into her arm and shocked her until she passed out.

WoFat approached the unconscious woman and pulled the electrodes out of her arm. He went back to the table with his duffle bag and started unpacking various instruments of torture. Tall and Skinny returned by the time he had finished unpacking.

"I thought I told you guys to have her ready for me when I got here?" WoFat questioned, as he looked at the unconscious woman.

Tall and Skinny realized it was best to just do whatever he was told, not to make any excuses. "I'm sorry boss, I'll get it taken care of right now."

He took the chain Short Man had brought with them and swung it over a beam that ran the length of the factory. He fought with it a little until it was the desired height from the ground. He picked up the young woman and handcuffed her so that the chain ran between her arms and held her upright, her feet touching the ground. He hummed to himself in excitement of watching his boss torture this little bitch.


	62. Chapter 62: A Family History Lesson

Steve had made it to Silver Pond quicker than he had anticipated thanks to Catherine's help. He pulled into the small parking lot in front of the Sherriff's office and jumped out of the vehicle. As he barreled into the office, he could see Tommy listening to the police radio and marking off various roads and buildings on a map.

Tommy looked up from the map to the door, "Steve."

"What's the latest?" Steve questioned, his concern inflected in his tone.

"We have covered all the old abandoned buildings and farms in this county and they are onto the next two surrounding counties. There are blockades on all the main roads and officers up and down the highways."

The youngest and newest member of the Sherriff's office walked into the room, "Can I help you, Sir?"

Tommy took the time to introduce, "Lewis, this is Commander Steve McGarrett, Red's brother. Steve, this is Lewis Ewert, he's covering the office while all the other officers are out searching for your sister."

Steve extended his hand to the young officer, "Nice to meet you."

Lewis shook Steve's hand and offered to show him their search grid and what they have discovered. Steve reviewed everything and asked to see the surveillance footage of the gas station. He watched as his sister was tased and then dumped into the trunk of a car. WoFat's men were consistent.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

As Azucena slowly regained consciousness, she could feel pain in her shoulders and wrists; she was cold. She opened her eyes to realize that they had moved her after she had been stunned unconscious. Her hands were cuffed above her head like her last encounter with WoFat, and as she glanced to her feet on the floor, she realized her shirt had been removed. She had a giant bruise across her stomach where Tall and Skinny had kicked her earlier. She stood in the old, abandoned soap factory in her skirt and bra, vulnerable.

She heard WoFat behind her, "So glad you finally decided to join us, Little Sister."

Azucena was angry, but thought it best not to show it. She calmed herself and asked, "Why do you call me that?"

"Little Sister?" questioned WoFat, who was still standing behind her.

"Yes, we aren't related. So why?"

"Little Sister," his tone condescending, "did you think Doris, I mean Claudia, only raised you and the McGarrett siblings?"

Azucena took in his response, confusion lacing her words. "Are you telling me that she's your mother too?"

"No, unfortunately my mother was killed when I was little, but 'Sarah Miller' entered my life and helped raise me." He paused, reflecting on his past, "At least, that was the name she was going by when she entered my world."

Azucena's smart mouth got the best of her, she should have kept her thoughts to herself, but it came out before she could stop it, "Looks like her parenting skills improved over time, her actual kids aren't raging lunatics."

Before she could walk back anything she said, not that she was going to, she felt the sharp jab and an electrical shock that caused her to scream out in horrific pain. He had pressed it to her back, just below her shoulder blade and held it there for a second, but it was long enough to make her wish she were dying.

"What the fuck was that?" she asked, as she found her footing and tried to push through the pain that ran through her body.

"Cattle prod." Answered WoFat, nonchalantly. He walked around to face her, and he could see the pain that painted her face. He was surprised by how much pain it caused her in such a short amount of time, but then again, he was using electricity on the young woman.

Azucena thought it best to take a different tack, "Sarah Miller raised you and now you are coming after her kids? What's your beef with us?"

"Sarah Miller worked her way into my life as a little boy. She filled in for my mother after my mother was killed. She was in my life every day and every night. As a little boy, I came to depend on her." WoFat paused and walked back around to the table behind Azucena. She could hear him fiddle with things, but she couldn't see what he was doing. "So you can imagine how utterly heartbroken and devastated I was when she just disappeared completely one day. No note, no goodbye, just poof. She was gone."

 _Abandonment issues_ , she wasn't surprised that something like that could create a raging nutjob. She was smart enough this time to keep her thoughts to herself.

"It wasn't until I was much older that I figured out that she wasn't really Sarah Miller, she was Doris McGarrett and she had abandoned me to start a family of her own. I wanted to inflict as much pain on her as she had inflicted upon me, but before I was able to do that, she was killed by a drunk driver. Someone had beaten me to it. Their actions were an accident, mine would have been deliberate."

"So I waited, I waited until her children were old enough to experience the pain I had felt and I murdered their father. I mean, your father. My mission was two-fold in that regard, I needed information about Shelbourne and I wanted to hurt her family, just as she had hurt mine. When John wouldn't give up the information about Shelbourne, my men murdered him."

"And then you went after Steve and Mary." Azucena supplied, connecting the dots.

"Yes, so you understand why I did it." He responded.

"Hardly," she responded, anger filling her voice, "You were upset because you lost two people. Big fucking deal, I've lost many people in my life, didn't make me want to go out and murder a bunch of people!"

WoFat didn't like her response and he held the cattle prod to her back again, under the other shoulder blade and relished in her screams of agony.

This was horrible, even her last encounter with this psychopath hadn't been nearly as painful as this and she had been beaten to a pulp. She realized that if she survived this, she was going to make sure Charlie didn't use cattle prods on the ranch. No creature should be subjected to this pain. As she found her footing, WoFat continued his little tirade.

"I thought that torturing your brother and sister would be fun and I knew that physically torturing your brother wouldn't bring him pain like it would you and Mary, so I had to get creative. I knew killing Mary would eat away at him for the rest of his life, so I attempted to do that."

"Until Steve and Danny saved her from your minions." Azucena supplied.

"Yes, in that instance I underestimated your brother and the Five-O task force."

Azucena was slightly relieved, she thought he was going to shock her again when she spoke up, but he didn't. Apparently, he didn't mind when she offered historical information, but observations and personal opinions were not appreciated. _Noted._

Tall and Skinny walked into the room, WoFat looked questioningly at him. Tall and Skinny spoke quickly and uncertainly, "Police scanner shows they have left their county and now are making their way into the abandoned buildings of this county."

"We have time for a little more fun and then I'll finish her. Get the car ready." Directed WoFat.

"Yes, sir." Tall and Skinny responded before disappearing. He was slightly disappointed he hadn't gotten to watch everything so far, but he could hear her screams and that was enough for him.

"Where was I?" questioned WoFat, as he walked back behind Azucena.

"Kidnap attempt of Mary was thwarted by the good people of Five-O."

"Aw, yes. Well, wouldn't you know shortly after that, I had some business to attend to in Kansas City. The Mancini family wanted to get into the arms trade, so they invited me to their fair city to broker a deal. Guess what I saw when I was at their family compound?"

"Sarah Miller?" guessed Azucena, finally understanding how everything was coming together.

"Yes, but when I saw the picture I asked about Sarah and they said that her name was Claudia Santiago. She had been killed in a house fire, but her daughter survived. So, I had to find you."

"Lucky me." Azucena mumbled.

"Indeed." Responded WoFat, as he held the cattle prod to her back once more. This time it was her low back and he held it there longer than the two previous times. He was enjoying the sound of her screams and now tears were streaking down her cheeks. He just grinned.

"Once I had established who you were, I figured it would be more fun to introduce you to your brother and then torture you in front of him. It would be like a two for one; physically torture you and mentally torture Steve. It truly was a treat for me."

Azucena was starting to feel the impact of the three shocks on her person. The pain was lingering, and she could feel her heart racing in her chest. It wasn't calming down at all. "But then we escaped and again, Five-O saved the day."

"Exactly why I had to get you out of Hawaii. That taskforce would be all over me the minute I took you, but here the bumbling Sherriff and his merry band of dumbasses can't find a needle in a haystack, so this was the perfect way to get you. My goal was to torture you to death and let big brother find your body. You know the fact that he couldn't save you would eat him alive."

"You are a sick and twisted son of a bitch." Azucena spat out. She figured if she was going to be killed, she wasn't going down without a fight.

"Thank you very much. That is quite the compliment." He responded, as he held the cattle prod to the other side of her lower back and held it there for another five seconds.

This time, she could barely find her bearings. She kept trying to stand, but her legs wouldn't cooperate, and she kept slipping. She was hanging limply from the chains overhead and her shoulder dislocated. She couldn't do anything to help herself, but to cry out in pain.

She watched as WoFat directed Tall and Skinny to start fires around the old building. She assumed the gun in WoFat's hand was to finish her off, but when Tall and Skinny returned, WoFat shot him in the head. She couldn't contain her shock anymore and threw up on the spot.

WoFat waited for her to finish being sick, he slid his fingers under her chin and pulled her face up to look at him. She figured she might already be in hell, there he was with flames dancing behind him, "It's been fun Little Sister, but I'm going to go. Good luck on getting out before the building burns down."

Then he was gone.


	63. Chapter 63: The Abandoned Soap Factory

**To those that continue to read, thank you. To those that leave notes, they mean the absolute world to me! It tells me that you like the stories and care about the characters and that makes me so happy. There is more to come, but my schedule is going to be ridiculous for the next few weeks, so I might not update right away. ~Avy73**

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Steve had been at the Sherriff's office ten minutes when a call came in from the fire station the next county over advising that the abandoned soap factory was on fire. The fire station informed them that they had people on the way to the factory, but in the meantime, they had spotted a man flying down the backroads at excessive speeds. The fireman gave the last known location of the speeder, in case this was one of the guys the BOLO had been put out on.

Lewis manned the radio and sent cars towards the location of the speeder, while Steve took in the information. This sounded like WoFat to him, looking up at Tommy, "You know where this building is?"

"The old soap factory, yeah."

"Take me there and do it quickly." Responded Steve, he couldn't explain it, but he could feel that this was where Azucena was being stashed. Hopefully the fire department made it in time.

They hopped into Tommy's truck and Tommy peeled out of town. He flew down the highway in Charlie's old truck and prayed that they would make it to her. He wanted to find her, and he was slightly afraid of what they would find.

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She was in Hell, or at least that is what it felt like. She could tell her shoulder was dislocated, the building was getting hotter and hotter, the fire was building and quickly approaching her, and the smoke was starting to get to her. She had to get out of here and quickly.

Ever since their first encounter with WoFat, she had started hiding a bobby pin in her hair. In the beginning she thought it was a sound idea, on the off chance that she had another encounter with the lunatic. As time had progressed, she started to think the idea was absolutely ridiculous but continued with it anyway. Today was the day for it to come in handy, if she was able to reach it.

With a dislocated shoulder, this was going to hurt like hell. She took her one good hand and reached for the chain that held her upright. Harnessing all the adrenaline running through her body, and disregarding the pain, she jumped up, and grabbed the chain. She pulled her legs up over her head and wrapped them around the chain.

She had to pull her body high enough that her hands could reach the back of her head, and in her first attempt to do so, she lost her grip on the chain and was greeted with the pain of jerking the arm of the dislocated shoulder. The good news was, her legs were still wrapped around the chain.

She took her good arm and pulled her torso back up towards the chain until she could wrap her arm around the chain. The smoke was getting thicker at this point and it was becoming more difficult to breath. Using the arm wrapped around the chain, she continued to pull her torso up until she was able to reach the back of her head. She felt around in her mass of hair until she was able to locate the bobby pin. She pulled it out.

Suddenly, she could hear sirens. She prayed those sirens were her salvation, but she wasn't about to wait and find out. She had the bobby pin, now it was time to undo the handcuffs. There was one problem, with a dislocated shoulder she couldn't move one arm. How was she going to get the handcuffs undone, if she couldn't move one hand towards the hand with the bobby pin. She started screaming, "HELP ME! HELP! HELP! I'M IN HERE!"

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Tommy flew down the back, gravel roads towards the soap factory. They could see the flames dancing from the building in a distance. He prayed she got out in time.

As they fishtailed around a corner, his cell phone began to ring. It was sitting in the pocket of his button down flannel shirt. He reached for it and handed it to Steve, "Answer that, I'm betting it's Lewis."

"McGarrett." Steve answered, his voice tight. He was on edge, just like Tommy. He could see the building burning in front of him and his fear that his sister was in that building was eating away at his insides.

"It's Lewis, our team was able to grab the man speeding down the backroads and he is in custody. He is WoFat. We haven't found the two men that grabbed Red, but we are still looking for them."

"Thanks Lewis. Let us know if you find anything else." Answered Steve and he disconnected. He didn't have the heart to tell Lewis that the two accomplices were probably already dead. If Steve were a betting man, he would assume they would find their bodies in this burning building.

"WoFat is in police custody." He said, as he hung up and held onto Tommy's phone. With the speeds they were traveling, he didn't want to distract Tommy with anything other than getting to the factory.

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Azucena heard the firefighters enter the building. The smoke was thick and black; and it choked her lungs, but she continued to scream and yell through it. She had survived this much today, and it was taking its toll on her body, but she wasn't about to give up yet.

It wasn't a minute before she saw the figures running through the smoke towards her and she continued to scream, and the tears on her face changed from terror to relief. The men took in the sight before them and radioed back to the truck for bolt cutters. One tried to calm her and talk to her, while they waited for the bolt cutters, but the smoke was becoming thicker. She was coughing and wheezing.

Suddenly, another firefighter appeared with the bolt cutters, he cut the chain above her head and the one who had been trying to calm her down, picked her up and ran with her out of the burning building, followed by the other fireman.

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Tommy threw the truck into park and both men jumped out of the truck and raced to the scene of the fire. Firemen were scurrying this way and that, hooking up hoses to douse the flames that had consumed at least half of the building. Steve stopped one, "Was there a woman in there? Did you find anyone in that building?"

"Yeah, she's around back with the EMT." The fireman pointed towards the back of the building. Steve and Tommy took off running, they watched as a fireman emerged with Red slung over his shoulders. Steve feared the absolute worst, until the fireman put her down at the end of the ambulance, and Steve saw his sister move on her own accord. She was coughing and fighting for breath, but she was alive.

They ran to her, but the fireman stopped them, "Give her some room."

The paramedic had placed an oxygen mask to her face and the stream of tears were washing away the soot that had caked her face. She was hiccupping sobs she was so terrified. Steve could see the paramedic was trying to calm her, but he wasn't successful.

He slowly approached the ambulance, but the fireman held his arm out, keeping him back, "She's my sister, I can get her to calm down."

The fireman looked at the EMT, the EMT shrugged his shoulders and stepped back. Steve walked slowly up to his sister and took in her appearance. She was barefoot, clad in only a black skirt and black bra and he could see the giant bruise on her stomach, even though the ash and soot were doing a decent job of hiding it. He could see her shoulder hanging limply at her side, he immediately recognized that it was dislocated.

He squatted down in front of her, and placed his hand against her cheek, carefully avoiding the bruise that had formed there, "Azucena, can you look at me?"

He caught her eye, but she continued to sob and fight for oxygen, "Come on kiddo, I'm right here. You're safe for the moment. Breathe with me."

He mimicked a deep breath, and he watched her, as they fell back into their middle of the night, panicked nightmare routine. She struggled for the first few deep breaths, but before too long, she was calm and breathing relatively easy. She fought a cough or two along the way, but as close to normal as possible.

Using his thumb, he brushed away a few of the tears and spoke, "Where are you hurt?"

"Shoulder." She answered quietly, gesturing to the dislocated shoulder that was hanging at the wrong angle. He could tell it was going to cause her a great amount of pain when the adrenaline wore off. His heart broke as he watched the tears still streak down her cheeks.

"The EMT is going to work on your shoulder, okay?"

She nodded and looked down at the ground. The EMT walked behind her in the ambulance to grab something from one of the kits. He turned around and saw the burns on her back, "Holy Mary Mother of God, what did they do to your back?"

The memory flooded her brain and the tears flowed with a vengeance, she could still feel the pain from each jolt of electricity. Steve looked up at the EMT and saw the horrified look on the man's face. As much as he wanted to jump into the back of the ambulance and look at her back, he knew that would only make the situation worse. He stayed calm and with a soft voice, he asked permission, "'Cena, can I look at your back?"

She nodded her head slowly and look at the ground. Her feet covered in black soot stood out against the white, limestone gravel under the ambulance. Steve stood slowly and calmly walked towards the bottom step of the ambulance. He sat down next to his sister and scooted back until he had a complete view of her back.

There were four distinctive burns that marred her back and he could see that these were second degree burns. These were going to hurt, and they were going to have to be cleaned. She had a long and painful road ahead of her. He bit back the anger that raged through his system. After he composed himself, he moved back in front of Azucena.

He went back to squatting in front of her and reached for her good hand. He ran his thumb gently over her knuckle, "He hurt you pretty bad, didn't he?"

She merely nodded.

"You still okay if the EMT works on your shoulder?"

She nodded, and she could feel the man moving beside her, but she focused on Steve. She was feeding off his calm demeanor and that was the only thing holding her together emotionally.

"Can you tell me who did it?" he asked, already knowing the answer, but he had to hear for himself and for the sherriff's officer that was standing behind him. He had seen the man arrive and he had pulled out his notepad, jotting down various things, while Steve patiently calmed his sister.

She pulled her hand out of Steve's hand and removed the oxygen mask from her face, "WoFat and his minions."

Steve took the oxygen mask in one hand and her good hand in his other. He could see the EMT was going to reset her shoulder, so he was giving her his hand to squeeze without letting on to what was going to happen. It was going to hurt, but it would go a lot smoother if she wasn't aware and didn't try to fight it.

Steve prepared to ask his next question, "Can you tell me what happened?"

"His men killed Mr. Koester, so I would come home. He said it was the only way he could get me off the island." She responded, sobbing tears overtaking her body at the exact moment the EMT set her shoulder. It was a tidal wave of screams and sobbing, louder than any of the men standing there expected.

"What?" questioned Tommy, who had quietly observed everything up to this point.

"I'm so sorry Tommy." She sobbed, the tears flowing freely, and the sobbing intensified. She struggled to catch her breath. Steve held the oxygen mask up to her face and processed her words. He knew his sister, she blamed herself for Mr. Koester's death. It wasn't her fault that WoFat was a madman, but she was going to take full responsibility for another man's death.

Tommy quickly approached Red, and following Steve's lead, squatted down in front of her. Tommy placed his hand on her knee, "You didn't kill my Grandad, you have no reason to be sorry."

"It's because of me that he's dead." She choked out between sobs. Steve still held the oxygen mask to her face.

"Red, you didn't do anything wrong. He did it. He did it all and he's going to pay for what he did." Tommy answered.

"How? He's gone, he killed those men and left me here to burn in that building. When he finds out I survived, he's going to come after me again."

Steve realized they hadn't told her that WoFat was in custody, and he interrupted her, "We got him. He's in police custody, he's going to jail, and he won't ever be able to come after you again."

"What?" she questioned, shock in her voice. He watched a smile cross over her face, "Seriously, you got him?"

"Yes, the Sherriff is processing him as we speak." Steve responded, he couldn't help but mirror her smile. That man who had created so much chaos and stress in their live was finally in police custody and was going to rot in jail for all the crimes he had committed against him, Azucena, and now, Mr. Koester.

Suddenly, the smile on Azucena's face disappeared, her face instantly turned white, and Steve could see the pain wash over her body. The adrenaline was dissipating from her system and shock was taking over. He watched his sister's body cave in on itself, "She's crashing."

Steve swooped her up in his arms, climbed into the back of the ambulance, and placed her on the stretcher. The EMT who fixed her arm climbed in behind him and started a line in her arm. Steve heard the door to the ambulance slam and felt the vehicle moving, as he watched his sister fade in and out of consciousness.


	64. Chapter 64: Waiting

**Just got back from vacation and had plenty of time to scribble, I try to unplug on vacation. Lots of ideas and am ready to crank them out. As I have only had three hours of sleep in the last 24, please forgive the typos and grammatical errors. I really wanted to get this posted before the day ends. As always, thanks to those who leave notes. They just make my day. :-) ~Avy73**

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Steve stood behind the stretcher and watched as they rushed his sister through the sliding glass doors at the tiny, country hospital. She was unconscious and extremely pale, but her heartrate was steady and strong. He chalked the paleness up to the shock from the burns and her close encounter with death. It scared him how close they were to losing her. They had almost been too late.

A nurse approached him and ushered him into the waiting room with the promise to provide him an updated the minute it became available. He was so amped up from the last twenty minutes, that he couldn't sit down to wait. He paced the room and realized he needed to call Catherine. Not only because she deserved an update on the situation, but because she grounded him, and he needed someone in this moment. He needed someone to tell him everything was going to be okay. Normally he did that for other people, but even Super SEAL occasionally needed reassurance.

He leaned against the wall and stared out the large window as he dialed Catherine. The view from the window was a parking lot and beyond that a wheat field. This view was different from back home but had its own beauty. He wondered if Azucena missed this scenery?

The instant he heard the soft, velvety voice on the other end of the line, he felt his pulse slow down and his body relax slightly. "Have you found her?"

Her voice was full of concern, and Steve loved her for that. Azucena hadn't been in their lives very long, but Catherine had embraced her as part of their ohana and for that he was grateful.

"Yeah, we found her." He said, his voice was heavy to her ear, but wasn't filled with bad news.

"Is she okay?"

"He left her to burn to death in an old abandoned factory. Luckily the Fire Department was able to get to her. She's in the ER being treated right now."

"How bad is she injured?"

"Smoke inhalation, dislocated shoulder, her wrists are torn up from where he restrained her, and he did something to her back Cath. She has these four distinct burns on her back. I don't know what he used on her, but they look pretty painful."

"Geez, is she alert?"

"She was when we got there, but she went into shock shortly after we got to her. She was lucid enough to tell us that WoFat killed Tommy's grandfather to get her to leave the island."

"No way!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, she's pretty upset about everything."

"How about you? How are you handling all of this?"

"I'm worried and relieved at the same time. The Sherriff and his team caught WoFat, so we don't have to worry about him anymore. But honestly, I don't know how she's going to handle all of this or how injured she truly is. She has been kidnapped and assaulted twice in the last six months. That's really got to mess with a person."

"What can I do to help?" she asked, and Steve loved the fact that she was so willing to help, even though she was halfway around the world. Without her help, he wasn't certain Azucena would be alive. He was thankful for everything she had already done.

"You've helped so much already, I can't ask anything more of you."

"Of course you can." She happily responded.

"Honestly," he paused, he was being more honest than he had intended, "Just hearing your voice helps."

He wasn't lying; he could tell his heartrate had leveled out and he wasn't as stressed as he had been before the call. Her voice had an incredibly calming effect on him.

"You're sweet, but seriously Steve, I will do anything I can to help both of you. Just let me know what you guys need."

"I know that, and I appreciate it more than you know."

"Will you keep me posted on how she is?"

"Of course, Cath." He paused, "I love you."

"Love you too, Sailor." She replied.

"I need to call Danny."

"Tell him hello for me." She responded.

"Will do" he said, and then he disconnected he call.

He called Catherine to calm him, now he needed Danny to tell him he wasn't screwing everything up. He felt like he had failed his sister and Danny would be honest with him. The phone rang three times, "Super SEAL, to what do I owe this honor? Are you back on the island because I owe you an ass kicking for running off and leaving me a _letter_."

Steve was surprised by how much one of Danny's famous rants made him feel a little bit better. He assumed it was because it was something familiar and familiarity normally breeds comfort, "Hey Danny, no, I'm not on the island and I'm sorry about the letter."

"I don't feel that was a sincere apology, so it is being reviewed and your forgiveness is pending."

Yes, this was the Danny he knew and surprisingly, he missed it more than he was willing to admit. He reflected too long because Danny interrupted his thoughts, "Your sister went back home for a funeral. Not certain she told you or not, so thought I would let you know where she is."

"Yeah, about Azucena," Steve responded and suddenly got a little choked up. Danny could hear the tightness in his friend's voice and it worried him.

"What's going on Steve?" Danny asked, panic rising in his own voice.

"WoFat lured her back home for the funeral."

Danny was confused, but he knew where WoFat was involved things were never good. "Is she alive? Is she okay?"

"She's alive and the doctors are treating her." He paused, it was hitting him again, how close he was to losing her. He only had so much family left, and that kid had worked her way into his heart. The way she laughed with her whole body, how she felt compelled to feed everyone on his team by sending treats to work with Steve, or Heaven forbid, how she folded towels incorrectly. If WoFat had been successful, Steve knew there would have been a hole in his heart much bigger than he ever would have imagined.

"Babe, tell me what's going on. Where are you?" questioned Danny.

"WoFat killed Tommy's grandfather, but made it look like the man died of old age."

"Holy shit."

"Yeah, and he had his men grab her and hold her until he could get here."

"You're in Kansas?"

"Yeah, with Catherine's help, we were able to find out WoFat was in Colorado. By the time, I got here, they had discovered where WoFat was hiding her. He set the building on fire and left her there."

"How bad?" questioned Danny, he was thinking back to dinner he had with her and Grace a few nights back. He never would have imagined all of this would have unfolded in a matter of a few days."

"The firefighters got her out in time, but she's banged up. She has some burns on her back, but I think those were inflicted by WoFat. She passed out at the scene."

"What do you need?" Steve smiled at this reaction. He had an amazing ohana. It didn't matter that they were all scattered across the globe, they were willing to do anything they could to help him and he was incredibly humbled by this.

"I don't know what to do, Danny." He had finally gotten to the point of his call to Danny.

"What do you mean? You take care of her." He responded, perplexed by Steve's question.

"Am I just a trouble magnet and this is what she gets for living with me?" Steve asked, finally exposing his true fear. He was afraid all of the bad stuff that happened was because of him.

Danny was curious how long Steve had been holding this inside, he would have almost bet ever since he had met Azucena and now he was second guessing himself.

"Danno, you there?" asked Steve. It wasn't like Danny to be quiet, unless there was going to be something Steve didn't want to hear.

"Listen to me," Danny started, "and I mean, really listen. If it wasn't for you, that kid would have been killed six months ago. You and I both know it. You brought her into her blood family and kept her as safe as humanly possible. You aren't Superman, as much as I like to tease you about it. You can't keep everyone safe all the time; and WoFat is a fucking psychopath, so it was only a matter of time that he surfaced and came after on of you. He came after the one he knew he could beat, no disrespect to your sister.

"So now you have to be there to help her pick up the pieces and this time it is going to be harder. She needs you to be there for her and help her find safety and security in her world. You can't send her to the mainland like Mary. This kid has already been abandoned so many times, I'm surprised she is as well adjusted as she is. I think that her parents instilled a great sense of self in her, but everyone needs help now and then and she's really going to need you now."

"Thank you, Danny."

"I'm not done." Danny interrupted Steve. "She's an amazing kid and she's family to all of us. So we are all more than willing to help you guys with anything."

Steve paused to make sure Danny was done. When he felt certain it was okay to speak, "Thank you Danny, we couldn't ask for better friends."

At that moment, Tommy walked into the waiting room and Steve cut his phone call short, "Gotta go Danno."

"Keep me updated." Danny said before he disconnected the call.

"They have her in the ER and they are going to update us as soon as they have anything." Steve explained to Tommy. Tommy let the information sink in, "How was she in the ambulance?"

"She was in a lot of pain, she eventually passed out because the adrenaline wore off and her body couldn't handle the pain."

"How bad was her back? What did he do to her?" Tommy wanted to know, but there was a part of him that also didn't want to know.

"She has four really bad burns in each quadrant of her back. I don't know what he used on her, but they look like second degree burns. She's going to be in a lot of pain as they heal. The mental struggle of overcome torture and near death is going to be just as difficult."

Tommy processed everything Steve told him and then he sank into one of the chairs in the waiting room. If the firemen had taken any longer, she would have been dead. On top of that, this lunatic had tortured her and left her for dead. This was an incredibly close call and it was starting to hit Tommy full force. "He's going to jail for life, right?"

"He is an incredibly violent offender that has left a trail of bodies behind him, all over the world. He will end up in a SuperMax prison." Steve explained.

"What's his fascination with Red?"

"He thinks she and I have information that he wants. I don't know exactly why he is fixated on her."

At that moment Tommy's mom and siblings walked into the waiting room. Sarah placed a basket of food and a bag of bottled waters on the coffee table.

"Have the doctors said anything?" asked Mrs. Roberts, worry etched across her face as she embraced Tommy in a hug.

"No mom, they are still working on her."

Mae walked up to Steve and waved him down to her level. Steve squatted down to this little girl he had never met and was surprised when she wrapped her arms around his neck, "She's so happy to have you as a brother. I'm so happy you guys were able to find her."

Steve smiled, this little girl had to be the reason Azucena took so quickly to Grace. He hugged her back and then held his hand out to the little girl, "My name is Steve. What's yours?"

The girl smiled, "Mae."

"That is a beautiful name." Steve replied to the little girl. Mrs. Roberts approached Steve and held out her hand to the man, "Forgive my daughter, she doesn't know a stranger. I'm Evelyn Roberts."

"He's not a stranger, he's Red's brother." The little girl offered.

Steve shook Mrs. Robert's hand, "Steve McGarrett, it's nice to meet you."

Mrs. Roberts introduced the rest of her family, and then said, "Please forgive us if we overwhelm you. Red is basically one of my children, so there is no way we were staying home once you all found her. I know Tommy probably hasn't eaten since yesterday and I figured with your travel to get here, you probably haven't eaten either, so please eat. We brought plenty."

"I'm thankful Azucena has people that care and are willing to wait up here. She talks about your family with some regularity, so it is nice to finally put faces with names."

Mae walked over to him with an empty paper plate and handed it to him. Steve couldn't say no and as he filled his plate with homemade sides and a sandwich, he realized it had been over twelve hours since he had last eaten and he was ravenous. He sat down and ate while the little girl eye him curiously.

Steve made conversation with the little girl, but watched Tommy's conversation with his mother. "Charlie told you everything?"

"Yes, I know he killed Grandad and I don' blame Red one bit. She didn't do anything but love your Grandad. Am I upset? You betcha, but not at her. If I know Red, she blames herself and is distraught about everything."

Steve could see a wave of relief wash over Tommy. He couldn't imagine the conflicted emotions that Tommy must be feeling. Finding out your family member was murdered but the person who committed the crime did it so they could torture and kill your girlfriend. That couldn't suck enough.

Steve was also thankful Mrs. Roberts was handling things so well. This could have gone down another way and he knew Azucena would never forgive herself in that instance.

He had just finished his plate of food and thanked Mrs. Roberts again for the hospitality when a doctor arrived, "Azucena Santiago's family?"

"Yes." They all answered in unison. The doctor was conflicted on who to direct his information to, so he focused on Mrs. Roberts, assuming she was Azucena's mom. "The good news is we did an EKG on her heart due to the burns on her back and the results came back clean. Her heart is functioning normally and is healthy. We are giving her oxygen to help her lungs because of the smoke inhalation. Her arm has been placed in a sling, so it will have support while it heals. That is going to take about three to six weeks.

"The burns on her back are second degree burns and they are going to cause her quite a bit of pain. Those will take around four to eight weeks to heals. She's going to have to keep them clean and dry for the next two weeks. Do you have any questions?"

"How long will she be in the hospital?" asked Tommy.

"We want to keep her overnight. We want to keep her on some heavy painkillers due to the burns. Depending on how the night and tomorrow morning go, we should be able to release her in twenty-four hours."

"Doctor, you checked her heart, so you think the marks on her back are electrical burns. What do you believe caused them?" Steve questioned, knowing he wasn't going to like the answer.

"We believe the burns are from a cattle prod." The doctor answered factually. Steve watched everyone cringe and he could feel himself shudder. Charlie looked at the ground "They stole it from the ranch. I noticed it was missing the day Grandad died."

Steve could see the guilt wash over Charlie. Steve looked at the man, he couldn't be six years younger than himself, "You had nothing to do with those burns on her back. You didn't know they were there or that they took anything. She isn't going to be upset with you, so please don't be angry with yourself."

Charlie nodded, but Steve could still see the guilt on Charlie's face.

"She's currently sedated, so we can let people see her, but she needs to rest and heal." The doctor offered.

"Steve, you go." Answered Mrs. Roberts, "The rest of us can wait our turn."

Steve looked to Tommy and clamped his hand on the young man's shoulder, "Come on, she'd strangle me if I didn't bring you with me."

Tommy nodded and they both followed the doctor through the corridors until they were at her room. They both stood at the doorway and Tommy let Steve enter first.

Steve was surprised, but in the same instance, he wasn't. They had her propped on her good shoulder and pillows ran the length of her body, providing support so she wouldn't have to lay on her back. Her left arm was in a sling and resting carefully on her side. He could see the oxygen canula running across her face, but the bruise to her cheek really caught his attention. It was probably his imagination, but it looked darker to him.

He stood back and ran his hand across his chin. He felt responsible for this, but there was nothing that could be done now.

He watched as Tommy took in her appearance. He walked over to the bed and ran his hand across her forehead, brushing the stray auburn strands back over her shoulder. He took her hand that was resting on the bed in his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Then he softly stroked the back of her hand, hoping it provided her some comfort.


	65. Chapter 65: Awake and Remembering

Steve was sitting in the chair next to her bed. He and Tommy had taken turns sitting at her bedside, holding her hand after his family had left. Steve watched her and from time to time she would flinch in her sleep or rustle about fitfully. Each time this happened, he would gently squeeze her hand and tell her in his soft, soothing voice that she was safe, and she would immediately calm down.

He had closed his eyes for only a moment when he felt her hand tighten around his slightly and then he heard the frantic breathing and shuffling of her body against the sheet and pillows. He opened his eyes to see the fear splayed across her face as she tried to escape from the sheet and pillows surrounding her.

He grabbed her hand and began to talk her down from the panic, "You're safe. We are at the hospital, remember?"

The panic in her eyes slowly subsided and he watched her body begin to relax. He let her gather her wits about her before he raised his first question, "How do you feel?"

"My back hurts." She said, as her mind wandered back to her tangle with WoFat and the cattle prod.

"Yeah, the doctors said it was going to be painful for a while."

"How bad is it?" she questioned, and then started squirming about in the sheet. Steve could tell she was starting to panic again, it was difficult for her to move. She was trying to mover her bad arm, but the sling was restricting her movements and he could tell things were going to get worse quickly.

He stood up, "Be still for a moment and I'll fix the sheet. You seem to have gotten caught up in it."

She lay still as a statue while he readjusted the sheets. When he was done, he sat back down in the chair, leaning forward and maintaining eye contact with her. "They are trying to keep you from laying on your back because you have four second degree burns."

He watched her eyes and he could see them begin to glisten as she remembered what had caused the burns. He saw the moment she worked to push it all back, keep it from being real, "How long until they heal and go away?"

"Doctors say four to eight weeks." He answered, matter-of-factly. She closed her eyes and nodded, as a stray tear streaked down her cheek. He gently wiped it away with his thumb.

He was a little surprised by her next question, "Does Tommy absolutely hate me?"

Steve could see the concern etched in her face and he understood her fear. He knew she would never forgive herself for Mr. Koester's death, so she couldn't understand how Tommy would. He knew she assumed he had left when he found out. Steve wanted to end this manner of thinking because he knew Azucena was going to need as much support as possible after this last go round with WoFat.

"He does not hate you. He went to the cafeteria to grab some coffee for the both of us. His whole family was so worried; they were all up here earlier checking on you. They each came in, but you were out cold because of the sedative."

Azucena processed his words and then looked back up to him, "Does she know, about WoFat and Mr. Koester?"

"Yes and she isn't upset with you."

"How can she not be upset? WoFat killed her father to get me to come home. I'm the reason he's dead." She was adamant in her guilt and Steve could understand why she was upset, but Mrs. Roberts, Tommy, and Steve all recognized that she wasn't guilty of this crime and eventually she would come to terms with it being all on WoFat. Steve felt she needed time to process everything.

"Take a deep breath, 'Cena." He coached her, and she complied with his direction. When she was calm enough, he brushed the tears from her face, "No one blames you and you can't blame yourself. You have a long road of recovery ahead of you and blaming yourself for WoFat's actions will do you no good and won't help you to heal."

She sniffed and all but whispered, "He's in jail, right?"

He could tell she was trying to remember everything that happened, "Yes, he is currently being held for crimes against you, me, the deaths of James Koester and Hiro Noshimuri."

Tommy walked in as Azucena's attention was grabbed, "Hiro Noshimuri, isn't that the guy Joe tracked down and held at gunpoint?"

Steve nodded, and she continued her line of questioning, "When did this happen?"

Steve debated on how much to tell her, but he also knew she had a right to know. Tommy handed him the coffee and sat on the edge of Red's bed. He took her hand into his while Steve ran one hand over his face. He was exhausted and it was beginning to show, but so was Tommy.

"The day before I found out that WoFat was headed to Kansas." He explained, trying to leave out most of the details.

"How do you know it was WoFat?" she asked, not that she doubted it.

"WoFat led us to the hotel room. He was leaving clues and wanted us to find Hiro's body." He was preparing to change the subject when his phone buzzed, he looked down and saw that it was the Governor calling, "I gotta take this."

Azucena nodded, Steve stood up and walked towards the door. They could hear him as he exited, "Yes Governor?"

She looked at Tommy, tears forming in her eyes, "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm not mad at you." He said, as he thumbed the tears from her cheeks, "I want nothing more than to hold you in my arms and take away all the pain and terror this man has caused you."

"Your Granddad." She began, but he cut her off, "Lived a really long and good life. He was killed by a lunatic who was trying to kill my girlfriend. So, you can understand that I absolutely hate WoFat. However, you are not to blame for his actions. None of my family feels that way."

She prepared to say something, but he interrupted her, "You are injured, and I can tell you are fighting to stay awake. Close your eyes and rest, you have a long recovery ahead of you and I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?" she asked, her voice like that of a scared child.

"Pinkie promise." He replied and using her good hand, he wrapped his pinkie around hers, just like when they were kids.

She closed her eyes and he wrapped his hand around hers, gently stroking the top of it, as he watched her quickly fall back asleep.

When he was certain she was asleep, he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. Still holding her hand, he fell asleep almost immediately.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve was surprised the Governor was calling, but he knew he had to answer, "Yes Governor?"

"Commander, I just had a report fall on my desk referencing you and the arrest of WoFat."

"Yes sir, we were able to track him down and the Sherriff's officers took him into custody. He will be transported to a SuperMax in Colorado tomorrow."

"That is great news." Replied the Governor, "So you will be returning to Hawaii and be back in the office within the next few days?"

"Actually Sir, WoFat almost killed my sister. She's currently in the hospital and I don't know when they are going to release her."

"I didn't see Mary's name in this report. Is she okay?"

"Mary's fine, WoFat had my other sister, Azucena."

"Azucena Santiago? She's listed in the report as being trapped in the abandoned, burning building. She's your sister?" Asked Governor Denning. Steve could hear the confusion in his voice.

"Yes Sir, my family's history is quite complicated, but she's my full sister." He patiently explained.

"How bad is she injured?"

"She has second degree burns on her back from WoFat and a dislocated shoulder. I don't know when the doctors will release her from the hospital or clear her to travel, but I will be here with her until we can come home.

"As you should be Commander, aside from the physical injuries, how is she holding up?"

"I don't know, she just recently woke up and is working to come to terms with everything."

As they talked, Governor Denning realized where he had seen her name previously, "Is this the young girl you previously filed a report on WoFat about kidnapping and torturing her in connection with Jenna Kaye?"

"Yes Governor," Steve explained, "that's when we discovered we are related. WoFat has quite the vendetta against our family."

"Why?"

"I don't know the answer to that, Sir."

"Fair enough, be with her as long as you need. When you get back to the island, get her situated. Take as long as you both need to feel comfortable and confident that she is safe."

"Thank you, Governor." Replied Steve, and their call was disconnected. Steve ran his hand over his face, he was absolutely exhausted and running on fumes. He leaned back against the wall and took a deep breath. He was hoping he wouldn't have to explain anymore about Hiro's death to his sister, he was afraid it would be too much at the moment.

He pushed himself off the wall and walked back towards her room. He was relieved to see her asleep and Tommy was crashed out in the chair next to her bed. They were all completely spent. Steve collapsed into the recliner, closed his eyes and immediately passed out.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve heard her whimper, it was soft. He opened one eye and peered over at her sleeping form, he was waiting to see if she would calm down on her own. His answer came in the form of her begging in her sleep. "Let me go, please!"

Tommy awoke to the begging, and he reached out for her, "Red, you're safe. He's not here."

Steve watched the young man comfort his sleeping sister. He stroked her good hand and brushed the stray strands of hair away from her face, "Red, no one is going to hurt you. Steve and I are here."

Tommy's words calmed her in her dream and she stopped begging. Steve saw Tommy brush the tears from her face. Steve knew if tonight was any indication, the road ahead was going to be very difficult. Steve nodded his head at the young man, a sign of approval for how he handled everything. They both quickly fell back asleep.


	66. Chapter 66: Can't Get Away Fast Enough

Azucena awoke with the worst feeling of being trapped. The sheets had wrapped around her person and the pillows cushioning her good side felt like stones at this point. She could tell she still had some drugs running through her system, but she was feeling every injury. She had to stand up and know she wasn't trapped. Using her good arm, she pushed herself up from the mattress on her side and felt the burns on her back scream out in agony.

The pain overwhelmed her, but the claustrophobic feelings were too much, and she fought through the pain of her back. Steve awoke to her movements and saw the determined look on her face. He knew she wouldn't be laying down in bed any longer, so thought it best to offer her some help, "Hey, how about I help you?"

"I need out of these sheets and this bed." She said, as she continued to work her way up to a seated position. Tommy awoke to her movements.

Steve slowly worked the sheet back from her legs and he wrapped an arm around her back, careful to avoid the bandages covering the burns. He helped her sit up and her legs dangled over the side of the bed. Steve could tell that just those simple movements caused her a great deal of pain. He wondered if she was behind on her pain medicine.

"Better?" Steve asked, as the nurse and doctor both entered the room.

"How are you feeling this morning, young lady?" Asked the doctor. He was an older man with white hair and thick black framed glasses.

Steve could tell right away that Azucena wanted nothing to do with this doctor. There was something about him that rubbed her the wrong way. He was even more surprised by her response, "Much better Dr. Cassan. Can I be released now?"

Steve looked at his sister and then the doctor, trying to understand why she was lying through her teeth. He could tell she was in pain, it was painted on her face. The heart rate monitor showed that her blood pressure and heart rate were elevated. He watched Tommy sit down on the bed next to her and gently squeeze her hand. Steve could tell there was something Tommy knew that Steve didn't.

"Well my dear, you have second degree burns on your back and a dislocated shoulder."

"I can tell." She answered, politely but factually.

"Then you understand you are going to be in a lot of pain for a while and your road to recovery is going to take some time."

"Just tell me how to care for them Doc and I'll be on my way." She responded.

"Don't get them wet for the next two weeks. We will send home a prescription for medicine to put on them. Cover them, but allow them to breath for a few hours every day. Additionally, I'm going to send home an antibiotic to treat any possible infection and some pain pills."

"Works for me. When can I expect to see the discharge papers?" she asked. Steve was confused, and he could tell his sister was challenging the doctor to try and keep her in the hospital. Steve thought if Tommy hadn't been holding her hand, she would have bolted out of the room already.

"Janie here will be back shortly with your prescriptions and paperwork."

"Thanks Doc." She said, and the instant he left the room, she collapsed in on herself. Her false show of feeling great and ready to go completely drained her of all her energy.

"What the hell was that?" asked Steve, confusion clouding his voice.

"The worst doctor in the tri-county area. I'm surprised they still allow him to practice medicine." Azucena explained and then turned to Tommy, "Did he treat me yesterday?"

"No, some new doctor treated you."

"Thank God!" she exclaimed and leaned against Tommy. Both men could see the little encounter had zapped her of all her energy and the pain medicine was wearing off.

"Charlie grabbed you a pair of pajama pants and a button down shirt. Thought the button down would be easier for you than a pull over, want to change into real clothes?" Asked Tommy, he knew she wasn't going to be sticking around.

"Whoa, slow down you two." Stated Steve, he was still trying to catch up on what just happened. He looked at his sister, "You have severe burns on your back and a recovering shoulder. I can tell you are in terrible pain, you need to rest and recover."

She nodded her head in agreement, "Yeah, and I can do that at Tommy's mom's house."

"You need to be monitored, you were dehydrated when they brought you in yesterday. You were in shock and so much pain that you passed out." Steve felt like he was arguing with a female version of himself, and it made him feel bad for how many times he had done this same thing to Danny.

"Mmmhh." She nodded again in agreement, but Steve couldn't let it go, "You need to be in a hospital, monitored by a doctor and nurses."

She leaned forward and took her brother's hand in hers, "Any other time, I would agree with you, but I won't be treated by that doctor. He is terrible, I would get better treatment from a pack of hungry wolves.

"What are you talking about?"

"Dr. Cassan has a pretty bad track record." Explained Tommy, while he handed the pajama pants and button down to Red and she interrupted, "Most everyone who is treated by him ends up either worse or dead."

"You have to be exaggerating," stated Steve, "or he wouldn't still have his medical license."

"Not really exaggerating. He treated Jack, and he's dead. He treated Mr. Roberts, and he's dead. He treated Clara, and she's dead." Offered Azucena, as she tried to put her foot through one of the pant legs of the pajama pants, "Do you see the theme?"

Steve understood what she was telling him, everyone she had ever cared for had been treated by this man and she had lost them. Whether or not he was an incompetent doctor had nothing to do with why she didn't want to be treated by him. He was the common theme for the death of her friends and family. He resigned himself to the fact that she wasn't going to stay in the hospital any longer.

"Let me help you." He said, as he held the other leg of the pajama pants open for her to insert her foot. He pulled the pants up to her knee and she took over from there, until she had to pull them up under the hospital gown. Tommy looked at her, "You want some privacy?"

"Yeah, but before you guys step out, can you untie the back of the gown and undo this sling?"

"Of course." He responded as he undid the sling first. Both men could see the pain she was fighting when the sling came off, but they wanted to give her privacy.

"Holler if you need help." Tommy said, and both men stepped outside of the room and closed the door. Tommy stood closely next to the door, listening for any signs of trouble. Steve paced the hallway, and then looked up at Tommy, "She said Mr. Roberts, you lose your dad?"

"Yeah, farming accident. There wasn't much that could be done for my dad." He answered.

"Sorry man, I didn't know."

"Thanks, but what she isn't telling you, is Dr. Cassan treated her immediately following the incident."

It all clicked into place now. Besides losing her friends and family after being treated by this man, the sight of him brought back memories from one of the worse nights of her life. No wonder she would rather be in pain than stay here and be treated by this man. He couldn't really blame her.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

She hurt, every cell of her body screamed out in pain, and she just wanted to curl up and die. She closed her eyes and pulled up the pajama pants as high as she could until she had to stand up to finish sliding them on. When she managed to stand up, it felt like she was going to pass out. She leaned her hips against the bed, and she finished pulling up the pants.

She managed to sit back down on the bed, and she struggled to sit upright. Her back was causing her a pain she couldn't handle, and she didn't possess the energy to keep fighting. Tears formed in her eyes and she quietly called out Tommy's name.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Tommy heard his name through the door and he quickly entered. He could see that she hadn't yet removed the hospital gown, "You okay Red?"

"No." was her soft answer, he could tell she was crying. He walked around in front of her and could see the pain and sadness etched across her face. She leaned forward and buried her face into his chest as the tears flowed freely. "I wanna go home and I want Jack to be there."

The door to the hospital room was slightly ajar, so both men heard her words and their hearts broke for her. Tommy understood completely, he had these moments where he wished his dad were back in their lives and everything would be better. When this happened, it was normally in his weakest moments, when he was tired or in pain.

Steve could relate, he had days where he missed his dad something fierce. He wanted to talk to him about the clues he had left behind, tell him about something exciting in his day, or just to see how he would interact with all his grown children.

"I know baby, I know." Tommy responded, as he gently held her to his chest and ran his fingers through her hair, he didn't dare touch her back. After a few moments of comforting her, he spoke up, "Want help with the button down?"

"Yeah." Was all she managed, her body was slightly slumped to the side of her bad shoulder. Tommy grabbed the button down and stood behind her, lowering one sleeve of the hospital gown, as he slid her arm through the shirt.

He did the same thing to the other arm and stood behind her while she pulled it together in the front with her good hand and tried to button it one handed. It didn't go well, so Tommy helped with the buttoning portion.

By the time they were redoing the sling, the nurse walked in with the discharge papers and medicines. Steve followed in behind her and listened to the medical instructions.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Azucena was wheeled out of the hospital in a wheelchair by Steve, while Tommy brought the truck around. She smiled to herself when she saw Tommy pull up, she assumed this was Jimmy's truck now, but she and the guys had some great memories associated with it.

As she stood up from the wheelchair, Steve helped her steady herself. He still felt it was too early for her to be released, but he recognized it would take an act of God or her passing out to get her to stay.

Steve helped her climb up into the pickup, and she slowly slid across the bench seat to the middle. Steve handed her the seatbelt, and Tommy took it from her and latched it. It was an old pickup, but it had a lab belt in the middle. She leaned forward and waited for Steve to climb in.

As they drove down the highway between towns, Steve felt like they were invading the Robert's house, "You know we can grab a hotel room."

"My mother would be terribly offended if you did that. The minute we get home, she will offer you food after she has fussed over Red. You are both family and we look after family."

That sounded terribly familiar to Steve and he recognized his own behavior in what Tommy was describing. You look after your own. Azucena was family to the Roberts and he had become family by extension.

They pulled into the driveway and were met by Mrs. Roberts. Steve helped Azucena out of the truck and Mrs. Roberts had the young woman wrapped up in her arms immediately. The young woman couldn't speak up fast enough, "I'm so sorry."

Mrs. Roberts shushed the young woman, "Oh Honey, I don't blame you one bit. Come on in, let's get you cleaned up and we will feed Steve and Tommy.

She slowly followed the woman inside, they found Sarah and Mae in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on a late breakfast. Steve watched as Mrs. Roberts ushered Azucena down the hallway towards the bathroom, he could hear her, "Let's wash your hair, it will make you feel more human."

Steve prepared to say something about keeping the burns from getting wet, but Tommy stopped him, "She knows, she won't let the burns get wet or take off the bandages."

Steve looked at him questioningly, Tommy quickly answered, "My mom's a nurse. She worked at the hospital in the ER for a long time before she switched over to working at the doctor's office here in town. She will take good care of Red."

Relief washed over Steve, now he understood why Tommy was okay with Azucena leaving the hospital. Mae interrupted their conversation with a big plate of biscuits, and Sarah followed her with a bowl of gravy, her little voice speaking up, "Breakfast is ready."

He watched the little girl stomp her feet on the floor of the dining room, and was confused about the action, until he heard footsteps on the stairs, and Jimmy appeared from the basement. The little girl was creative.

The four of them sat down to a hearty breakfast. Sarah was the first to speak, "I kept some biscuits and eggs back from Mom and Red."

Tommy nodded, and he offered the bowl of scrambled eggs to Steve first. Steve was starving and the full table of bacon, eggs, hash browns, and biscuits with gravy in front of him looked incredible. He could hear his stomach growl and Mae just giggled, "Hope you like it!"

"I'm certain I will." He smiled at the young girl, and then looked to Sarah, "It looks amazing."

He watched as the siblings fell into any easy banter; Sarah asking question about Azucena, but keeping it high level, so as not to scare Mae.

When everyone had their fill, they worked together to clear the table and Steve helped Sarah hand-wash all the dishes. When they were done, she looked over at Tommy, "The sheets are clean in Charlie's old room, you guys want to get cleaned up and crash, we will take care of Red."

"Thanks Sarah, come on Steve. We will go get your car and your bag. This way you can shower and get some sleep." Tommy walked out the back door, with Steve following him to the truck.

When they returned, Azucena was sitting at the kitchen table and Sarah was putting the finishing touches in a long braid down the side of her head, so the damp hair wouldn't get on the bandages.

There were two biscuits in front of her, she had topped with honey and some scrambled eggs. Pain pills were sitting next to her plate, along with orange juice. Steve took in her appearance, she looked pale to him, but that was probably because of the bruise on her cheek, "How you doing, kiddo?"

"Better." She answered, and she downed the pain pill with a swig of juice. She took in the sight of both men, "Go get cleaned up and crash, you guys have had a long few days."

"You gonna be okay?" He asked, really focusing on her facial expressions. He could tell she felt more human, but he could also see she was in a lot of pain.

"Yeah, I'm good." She supplied. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, "Love you kiddo."

"Love you too." She replied, and she watched him walk towards the stairs. Tommy leaned down and kissed her, she looked him in the eye, "Get some rest."

"You do the same." He said, and he headed towards the basement.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve stood in the shower and let the hot water rush over his shoulders. He had almost three days worth of grime covering his body, so the shower was extremely welcome. He let the hot spray wash away all the stress and emotions, and he allowed himself to stand there and enjoy it.

When he finally drug his relaxed body from the shower, he felt the exhaustion from the last few days wash over him. Any other time, he would have been hovering over his sister after what happened, but he knew she was in good hands. She was with her ohana. The minute his head hit the pillow, he was out cold.


	67. Chapter 67: What Happened?

Steve awoke and saw the time, he had slept most of the day, but he recognized he had really needed the sleep. He pulled himself out of bed, threw on his cargo pants and a t-shirt, and walked barefoot up the stairs.

He found Sarah in the dining room, helping Mae with her homework. The little girl looked up to him, "Did you sleep good?"

"Yes, thank you." He responded, and he looked around the house. Sarah could tell he was looking for his sister. She gave him a brief report, "She's out on the swing in the backyard. She's been up for about an hour when the pain medicine started wearing off. She slept pretty fitfully."

"She was crying." Mae said, sadness in her voice.

"I bet you, Sarah, and your mom took great care of her, so thank you." He said to the little girl. He was curious if Azucena was going to fight against the need to be in control versus the need to manage the serious pain he knew she would be in. "Did she take any more pain medicine?"

Sarah shook her head with a grim smile, "Nah, she would only take ibuprofen."

Steve shared the same grim smiled with Sarah and walked out the back door. He saw his sister's profile on the swinging bench in the backyard. Her good shoulder leaning against the back of the swing, her face focused on the neighboring backyard.

Steve realized that was probably her backyard growing up. Upon closer inspection, he could see structures that he recognized in some of the framed pictures in her bedroom.

As he approached the swing, her attention switched from the house to him, "How did you sleep?"

He sat down on the other end of the bench, "I'm pretty sure I went into a coma."

"Good, you probably needed the rest after everything." She answered.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, as he softly rocked the swing with his foot in the grass. She realized he didn't have any shoes on, "You will want to get your feet out of the grass. It's early in the season, but you could get chigger bites since you are barefoot.

He looked at her, she saw the confusion in his face, "We get chiggers in spring, summer and fall. They are microscopic mites that live in the grass. They bite you and then you get a really unpleasant rash. You'll want to put your feet up on the swing."

She watched him follow her directions as he spoke, "Thanks for the warning."

"No problem." She smiled back.

He had noticed that she didn't respond to his initial question, she was avoiding talking about it. Before he could bring it up again, she changed the subject, "You ever heard the song _The House That Built Me_?"

He went along with her questioning and shook his head no. She gestured to the house on the other side of the fence, the white ranch with the sprawling covered back porch and the large garden plot that had just recently been turned over.

"It talks about how you grow up in a house and then you move away. You want to go back and ask the person living there now if you could just come inside and look around. It would be like a little stroll down memory lane." She paused, she stared at the house, "I sit here, and I feel like Jack could walk out the back door any minute and tell me to come home for dinner."

He recognized she was telling him she was homesick for Jack. "You miss him a lot?"

"Every day, but some days more than others. I assume the same way you miss our dad." She paused, "But today, I miss him something fierce."

"The people that bought the house, are they from around here?" He questioned, curious about the new inhabitants.

"They moved here from a few towns over. She's a teacher at the school and her husband works at the tire factory about twenty miles from here. This town is closer to their jobs. They are friendly enough."

"Do you remember the house you lived in with Mom?" He asked, curious if she only remembered this house.

"Bits of it, it had a tiny backyard and I always thought the sofa took up the entire living room." She stopped, he watched her mind drift, "It smelled like sandalwood, but that is all I really remember."

They sat on the swing in quiet solitude for a few more minutes, and Steve saw her yawn slightly, He looked at her, "Did you get any sleep?"

"Yeah, the pain medicine knocked me out and then it wore off."

"Have you taken anymore?" he questioned, knowing the answer.

"No, I took some ibuprofen. I'm hoping it will kick in soon."

He looked at her, she wasn't avoiding his questions now, so he thought he would push his luck, "Can you tell me what happened?"

She looked at him, and he could see a hint of fear in her eyes, "I don't want to."

He was surprised by her straightforward honesty. Normally she said no, thought about it for a while and then spilled her guts. He could tell this time was different, and he didn't want to push her. "That's okay, we don't have to talk about it tonight. However, the Sherriff is going to want to know what happened."

"What's to explain? He kidnapped me, tortured me, and this time he left me to die. I don't think they will need anything further than that when they take into account Mr. Koester and Hiro Noshimuri's deaths. I survived, they didn't." She said, fatigue painting her face. Her final sentence told him what she wasn't saying, she had survivor's guilt.

"They will want to know what he said to you. They will want to know about the two dead bodies in the building, the fact that he confessed to Mr. Koester's death, and they will want details on what happened to you in that building." He explained, his voice soft and calm. He knew she was afraid, and he could tell it was eating away at her, but she focused all her energy into pushing it down and ignoring it.

"I didn't have to do that the last time." She whispered.

"Actually, you did."

She looked at him, confusion clouding her features. "I asked you what happened before I arrive and how they got you. I didn't have to ask you about anything else because I was there and could put it all in the case file."

Tears welled in her eyes and she looked down at the grass; he could tell she was pondering something. She blinked back the tears, and her voice was soft, "If I tell you. Do I have to tell anyone else?"

"I'm afraid so, Sherriff Jones was at the hospital yesterday and he wants to interview you for the details. He said he was willing to wait until you were awake and feeling a little better."

She ran her fingers along the seam of the cushion of the swing, her voice barely above a whisper, "Our mother raised him. When he was a little boy, his mother died, and our mother raised him."

"What?" Steve asked incredulously.

"She went by the name of Sarah Miller and one day, she just left. Didn't say goodbye or anything. Watching him talk about it, you could tell it was a defining moment in his life. The person he counted on after his mother died abandoned him."

"Sarah Miller?" Steve ran the name across his tongue, confused with everything she had told him.

"Yeah," she responded and looked up at him, "do I tell the cops about that?"

"Mom's dead, I don't think it is a problem to share that information." He offered. There was a phone call to Joe in the future. He knew Joe would continue to avoid his calls until he was ready to speak with Steve, but Steve had the sneaking suspicion that Joe knew all about Sarah Miller. Just as he had known about Doris McGarrett and Claudia Santiago. He stayed silent, hoping she would continue.

"As he grew up, he found out that mom had a family and he was angry that she left him for you guys. He wanted to inflict as much pain on mom as possible, so she could feel what he felt. He was going to kill her, and I think he was going to make it extremely painful, but the accident happened."

"Since he couldn't hurt her anymore, he decided he was going to hurt you and Mary, so her family would know the pain he had felt. He came after Dad.

"I don't know what happened that day, but I know you carry a lot of guilt about it. I see it in your face when he comes up in conversation. Your face hardens. It's not your fault. No matter what happened that day, he had signed Dad's death certificate. His people were going to kill Dad whether he gave them the information he wanted or not." She knew this information was going to be difficult for Steve to swallow.

Steve took in her words, her words were partially s a surprise and partially a relief to him, as much as he didn't want to admit it. He had carried a lot of guilt over their father's death and this relieved him of just a little of it.

"Apparently, he decided that killing dad wouldn't bring you and Mary enough pain, so he decided he was going to kill Mary. He knew that would torture you in a way that physical torture wouldn't. But then you and your team stopped that from happening."

She watched as he rubbed his hand against the back of his neck, she had figured out this was a sign he was frustrated. He didn't like what he was hearing, and she knew she was going to make it worse.

"After his failure to kill Mary, he went to Kansas City to broker a deal with the Mancini family. While he was there, he saw an old picture of mom. They said mom had died, but I was still alive. He found me. He figured if he introduced us, and you watched him torture me, it would bring you pain. He knew physically torturing you wouldn't give him what he wanted." She paused, "Fast forward to a few days ago, he had Mr. Koester murdered because he knew he wouldn't be able to get access to me on the island and if you were chasing him, I would come back home alone. His plan was to torture me to death, so you would carry the guilt of my death."

He noticed how void of emotion her voice was. It was almost as if she wasn't the person who had almost been murdered. Steve expected more emotion from her, and he knew her lack of it was a bad sign. He knew she was repressing the fear and horror she had experienced.

"I think he is especially angry with you because you were the first one Mom had after him. I think he took it personally that she picked you over him."

Steve continued to process everything she told him. He didn't want to dwell on the personal stuff too long, he would have plenty of time later to turn it over in his head. He wanted to hear what happened, while she was still willing to tell him.

"What about the two guys that grabbed you?" He asked, calmly.

"I messed up the shorter one's knee and when WoFat arrived and asked him to do something, he said he was hurt. WoFat shot him." Her face turned a lighter shade of white, he knew she remembered every detail and was reliving it in her mind.

"He made the Tall and Skinny one set the building on fire and when he was preparing to leave, he shot him in the head." He could see the tears begin to well in her eyes, but she managed to blink them away. He knew these two memories were burned into her brain and they caused her great distress.

"You aren't responsible for the deaths of those men, and you aren't responsible for Mr. Koester's death. You understand that, right?"

She nodded her head yes, but she didn't trust herself to speak. Seeing those two men shot dead in front of her left an indelible image in her brain.

"What did he burn you with?" He didn't let on that the doctors might have identified the tool of torture. He needed to hear it from her.

Her eyes glanced up to the sky, he couldn't tell if she was fighting back more tears or the need to vomit. This was tearing at his heart, she wouldn't process any of it. She wouldn't let herself feel and react to the events she had endured.

She remembered the agony of each burn. What lasted truly only seconds felt like an eternity of horrendous pain. She looked out to her old backyard, "It was a cattle prod."

He wanted nothing more than to take away all the pain and fear she was feeling and carry that burden for her. However, he knew that this was something she was going to have to process and overcome on her own. It didn't mean he wasn't going to be there along the way, helping her in any way he could, "'Cena, I'm so sorry. I wish I could fix this for you."

"It's not your fault. You did everything you could to protect me. I should have known better." She responded.

He was blown away by her response, "You couldn't have known this was a trap."

Their conversation was cut short when the back door opened, Mae ran out to the swing and stopped at the back side of it, eye to eye with Azucena, "Red, are you crying?"

"No Babydoll, I'm just fine. You want to sit with us?" She asked and gestured to the extra room between herself and Steve.

"Momma says I can come sit with you only if I'm not interrupting something and I have to be careful not to bump into you."

"Slide on up here Babydoll. There is plenty of room." Azucena padded the empty space and looked at her brother. She knew this conversation wasn't over, but Mae was a welcome distraction from the crummy stuff running through her head.


	68. Chapter 68: Unraveling

**To the people who continue to read, thank you! The notes mean so much to me. To my friend Stephanie, my heart breaks for you and everyone in the communities affected by the hurricanes, storms, and flooding. I can't image all the emotions you are feeling and losing everything you own. I wish there was something I could do. However, I'm happy to hear that my story helps you escape the daily reality you face. Reading truly is an escape for a lot of us. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and all those impacted by the storms. *hugs* ~Avy73**

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Mrs. Roberts had been cooking spaghetti sauce all day long and when it was time to eat, the whole family was in attendance, Charlie included. The dinner table was packed, and the conversation was lively. Steve could see his sister was at ease, but he did note the lack of appetite, as her plate held only a small amount of food.

Steve was enjoying the Roberts family and could understand how his sister loved them as her own. He found Charlie to be incredibly funny and Mae was as sweet and as caring as Grace. The patience Sarah possessed made him admire the young school teacher. These were good people and he was thankful his sister had such a loving extended family.

Towards the end of the meal, the telephone rang in the kitchen and Mae was out of her chair like a rocket. The little girl raced for the phone and answered it, excitement in her voice, "Hello?"

The expression on her face faltered slightly, and she held out the cordless phone and walked toward Azucena, "Red, it's Sam."

Steve and Tommy watched as she slowly stood up and accepted the phone from Mae. She held the phone with her slinged arm, opened the back door, and walked out onto the porch. They couldn't hear the conversation, but they watched her body language, it bothered them both.

"Sam?"

"Hey Red, Sherriff wanted me to call you and see if you could stop by the station tonight or tomorrow and answer some questions."

She was quiet, she knew she had to do this, but she didn't want to relive the horror of what she had experienced. If she did this, she was going to talk to Sam, "Can I answer the questions with you or does it have to be Sherriff Jones?"

"Just you and I can talk, he doesn't have to be present." Answered Sam. He felt oddly proud in this moment. She was comfortable enough to talk to him after everything they had been through.

"When do you want to do this?" she asked. He could hear the grumble in her voice, but he knew she was a fighter. This kid was probably mentally stronger than most of the guys on the force. She had been through hell multiple times.

"Whenever works for me. I'm at the station for another hour and then I'll be back at 8 tomorrow morning."

"Let's get this over with, I'll be up there in about ten minutes." She said, as she resigned herself to her decision. She wanted to put this behind her and if she had to think about it overnight, she wouldn't get any sleep. Not that she expected to get any tonight.

"See you soon, young lady."

She disconnected and leaned her hips against the porch railing. She heard the door open behind her and she knew it was either Steve or Tommy. Her shoulders sagged in relief when she heard Tommy's voice, "What did Sam want?"

She turned around, slid her good arm around his waist, and rested her forehead against his chest. She could feel him tentatively place his hands around her waist, hoping to avoid the burns. She spoke into his chest, "He wants me to come down to the station and tell them everything."

"You up for that?" He asked, resting his chin on the top of her head. She could hear the concern in his voice.

"I told him I would be up there in ten minutes. I just want to put all of this behind me."

"Fair enough, let me go get my keys and we can head that way."

"Steve is probably going to want to be there. Would you grab him when you get your keys?"

"Of course." He held her for a few seconds longer. He wanted to provide her with comfort and reassurance. After a few moments, he kissed her forehead and she loosened her grip on him, "I'll be right back."

He disappeared inside and quickly returned with Steve in tow.

If she hadn't been recovering from her wounds, they would have walked up to the Sherriff's station. It was on Main Street, across from the diner.

The three of them climbed out of the pickup and walked inside. Lewis was seated behind the counter, but Sam stood the moment they entered the building, "Thanks for coming down, Red."

'Of course, Sam." She nodded. It took Sam a moment to realize she had two men with her.

"I see you brought your partner in crime with you." Sam said, as he reached out to shake Tommy's hand. Sam looked at Steve, "You must be Red's brother. I've heard a lot about you. Nice to meet you."

Steve shook the man's hand, "Nice to meet you, Sir."

As Sam led everyone to a small conference room, he looked at Steve, "Rumor is you run an elite task force in Hawaii."

"Yes sir." Answered Steve.

Sam pulled a chair out from the table, "Here ya go, Red."

Steve and Tommy sat on either side of Azucena and Sam walked over to the other side of the table, "Anyone need anything before we get started? Coffee or water?"

The three politely declined and Sam sat across from Azucena. He focused on the young woman, "You aren't in trouble, I just need you to tell me what happened, starting at the gas station."

Azucena sat in the chair, composed herself, and told Sam everything. Steve watched his sister, she was void of all emotion and factual. Most people would have broken down a time or two during the retelling of their kidnapping and torture, but not Azucena. Watching her answer Sam's questions reiterated Steve's concern. She had already shut down over the situation, she was refusing to process it or feel anything about it.

Sam asked her pertinent questions, and he treated her the exact way Steve would have treated someone in the same situation. When all was said and done, Sam thanked her for her time.

Azucena excused herself from the room under the guise of having to use the restroom. Steve took this opportunity to ask Sam to send him a copy of the case file for their records back in Hawaii. Sam was more than happy to acquiesce and quizzed Steve on WoFat.

Tommy noticed Azucena's flushed face when she exited the restroom, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She lied, as she took Tommy's hand in her own. He could feel her shaking, and knew she wasn't telling the truth. "You sure about that?"

"I hate this, it sucks, and I wish it had never happened." She replied, hoping he wouldn't pick up on the fact that she had just thrown up the small amount of dinner she had consumed earlier.

"I agree." Tommy answered and squeezed her good hand gently. Steve and Sam had finished comparing notes and the three of them exited the station and headed towards home.

When they pulled up in the driveway, Mrs. Roberts and Sarah were sitting on the back porch, Mae had passed out for the night, Charlie had headed home, and Jimmy was on the living room sofa watching a television program. Azucena excused herself from the back porch with the excuse of pain medicine. Tommy sat down to talk with his family and Steve felt he needed to talk to Danny.

As Steve descended the stairs to grab his phone, he heard water running in the bathroom. The door was slightly ajar, and he could see his sister brushing her teeth. He knew his sister and her routines; she didn't brush her teeth until she was putting on her pajamas, she did the same thing every night. He quickly thought back to her appearance outside the restroom at the station, she was flushed and shaky. He thought it was from telling Sam everything, but he realized in this instance, he was wrong.

He walked to the room he was sleeping in and grabbed his phone, and then he sat on the sofa in the basement living room until she exited the bathroom. He knew he had surprised her, "Steve?"

"You're barely eating, and I assume you threw up what you did eat at the station. Am I wrong?" his voice soft and full of concern.

"We aren't discussing this." She responded, her head bowed in shame as she headed towards the stairs. He stood up and blocked her way to the stairs, "Azucena, you have to process this. I watched you with Sam. You shut down. You weren't you! You're barely eating and now you're throwing it up. This isn't healthy."

"I told Sam everything! What more do you want me to do?" She challenged him, "You want me to cry? You want me to feel sorry for myself? You want me to get past the fact that an innocent man died because of me? I can't please everyone, so tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it!"

"I want you to feel this, that is the first step in getting over it." He answered her, his voice calm and rational.

"You think I don't feel it? I don't want to feel it! I don't want to experience the fear of seeing and feeling the fire closing in on me! I don't want to see those men's faces as the last of their lives faded from their bodies. When I do see it and feel it, it makes me sick to my stomach." She was beginning to unravel. Steve could see she was feeling everything from the kidnapping and verbalizing it. He reached out to her as she continued to come undone, tears streaking down her cheeks, "I don't want to feel the pain from the cattle prod! I want it all to go away! I want it to be over!"

She collapsed against him and she sobbed against his chest. He wrapped one arm around her back, avoiding the burns and held the other hand to the back of her head, running his fingers through her hair, "I got you; let it all out kiddo."

"I don't want to! I don't want any of this! I hate him! I hate him so much!"

"I hate him too. I hate what he has done to you and I hate what he did to Mr. Koester."

"I want it to stop. I don't want to see their faces every time I close my eyes. I don't want to hear his evil laugh or see his wicked grin. I want it to all go away!" She became a dead weight, as she was reeling from finally letting her feelings out.

Steve heard footsteps on the stairs and he knew they would be Tommy's. He held the young woman to his chest and turned his head towards the sound, "Would you grab a glass of water?"

Tommy took in the sight and ran back upstairs for a glass of water. When he returned, Steve had managed to maneuver his sister to the couch and she was collapsed into him on her good side, the tears still rolling down her cheeks, her head resting against his chest. He continued to run his fingers through her hair, as she sobbed against his shoulder. "I can't keep going through this."

"I know kiddo, I know. Let it out." He said, as he could feel the sobs rolling through her chest. He could tell she was struggling to breath, but he knew she needed to get it all out.

When she couldn't cry another tear, she stayed tucked into his chest for a little while longer. He remembered she had done this in the past, in her little apartment. She wasn't ready to face everything yet. He continued to hold her and just let her come to terms with everything.

Tommy had watched the scene unfold and he was saddened for his best friend. After everything she had survived, he could understand her complete and utter meltdown. He was surprised it had taken this long to arrive. He assumed it would have happened when she told Sam everything, but no, she had stayed stone cold solid talking to Sam. There was never even a hint of tears.

Steve spoke up first, "Want some water?"

Using her good hand, she wiped the remaining tears from her face and started to sit up straighter, pulling away from Steve. Her voice was hoarse from the crying, "Yes please."

Tommy handed her the water and she took it with her good hand, both men could see her hand shaking. She took a small sip and then cleared her throat, she looked up at her brother, and in a soft voice, "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"I think I'll get over it." He answered, a chuckle in his voice, "I'm worried about you. I know you went through hell and you want to push it down and forget about it, but that doesn't fix it. It just takes longer to get over."

"I know that, but this is too much." She responded.

Tommy squatted down in front of her and rested his hand on her knee, "You remember how overwhelming everything was after the incident?"

She nodded and closed her eyes, "Remember how you didn't even want to leave the house or be around other people? Look how far you have come. I know this is different, but you fought back then, and you didn't let Woods win. WoFat has hurt you in a way I can't imagine more than once, but if you let this eat you up, he wins."

"I want it all to go away." She responded, her eyes begging him to understand.

"And it will, a little bit at a time. He is headed to a SuperMax prison in Colorado. He can't come after you anymore." Steve supplied, reiterating the point that he was out of their lives for good.

Tommy reached up and brushed the stray strands of hair away from her face, "It's getting late and everyone is tired. How about you take some of the pain medicine and we lay down and relax?"

He watched her waffle and he knew she wasn't going to readily take the pain medicine, "I've got you tonight, let's get rid of the pain you are fighting."

She slowly nodded; she hurt more than she wanted to admit, and the ibuprofen wasn't cutting it. Tommy thumbed away the stray tears, "I'll be right back with the pain medicine and antibiotics."

Steve cleared his throat, "You might grab a banana or some crackers."

Tommy looked to Steve and realized what he was saying without saying it, he didn't want her to take the medicine on an empty stomach. "I'll see what I can find."

Tommy disappeared upstairs, and Steve sat shoulder to good shoulder with his sister, "It's okay to cry."

"After everything we've been through, you know I know how to cry." She joked with him.

"I know, I just want you to know that I won't think any less of you. Being scared and struggling to come to terms with all of this is perfectly normal." He was trying his best to comfort her and let her know he would support her one hundred percent.

"Thanks." She responded and nudge him with her good shoulder. She didn't have the appropriate words, so she knew he would understand her playful nudge.

Tommy returned, and she slowly stood up, moving the glass of water to her injured arm. Steve stood up and she wrapped her good arm around his waist, "Love you, big brother. Get some rest tonight."

"Love you too kiddo, you do the same." He bent down and kissed the top of her head.

She walked to Tommy, they walked to his room, and closed the door.

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Steve exhaled; his body was tired, but his mind was wide awake. He hadn't expected any of what had happened, but he was thankful he had figured it out before it had gone on too long.

He took his cell phone and walked upstairs, hoping to call Danny and unload. He stepped out onto the back porch and found Mrs. Roberts sitting in a chair in silence, "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you."

"Nonsense, I was just unwinding for the evening." She replied, "You are more than welcome to join me. I'm guessing it's really starting to hit her?"

Steve ran his hand across the back of his neck and exhaled, "You could say that."

He collapsed into one of the chairs on the porch. Mrs. Roberts spoke up first, "I noticed her lack of appetite this morning and at dinner."

"She got sick at the station, but I didn't catch it right away. It wasn't until we made it back here and she was brushing her teeth."

"Do you feel like a parent yet?" Asked Mrs. Roberts, a slight chuckle to her voice.

Steve thought about it. She had nailed it, sort of, "You know, I hadn't really thought about it that way. She's very self-sufficient and incredibly mature. If it weren't for these two encounters with WoFat, I wouldn't feel like she needs me. And as selfish as this sounds, it's nice to feel needed."

"She thinks the world of you." Mrs. Roberts responded, letting Steve in on the truth.

"She's an amazing kid and after everything she's been through, incredibly well adjusted."

"Yes, she has overcome a lot" Mrs. Roberts said, and then continued, "and she's got another big battle ahead of her. Do you have it in you to help her through this one?"

Steve understood what this woman was asking, she cared for Azucena like her own daughter and if Steve wasn't up for the task, she was going to take it on.

"I can't ever imagine giving up on her."

"Good to hear. I knew that would be your answer, but I needed to hear it myself." She paused, "She's always been like a daughter to me. But when we lost Jack, I became even more protective of her."

"Thank you for that." Steve said.

"It really wasn't much of a change. She and Tommy have always been inseparable. I figured it was only a matter of time before those two ended up together."

"Peas and carrots."

"I see you've talked to Frog."

"He might have mentioned it, but I'm impressed with your son. His devotion to her is incredible and he truly loves her and would do anything for her."

"Yes, but her devotion is just as strong. She's a little bit more guarded, but she has every right to be."

"Absolutely." Steve conceded.

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Once she was in Tommy's room, she sat on the edge of the bed. She felt like she was moving on autopilot.

Tommy peeled the banana and handed it to her. While she mindlessly ate the banana, he changed into his gym shorts and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. He didn't say a word and she knew he was offering silent support and comfort.

When she had finished the banana, he handed her the antibiotic and she swallowed it with no hesitation. Next, he handed her the pain pill, she paused. He squeezed her thigh gently, "I'm not going anywhere; I've got you tonight."

She tossed it back and downed it with the last of the water. He pulled out her pajamas she had worn the last two nights, "Want me to give you some privacy?"

"No, I'm going to need your help." She answered softly. She stood up and turned her back to him, "Can you undo the sling?"

He gently reached to her back and undid the sling and worked it down her shoulder. He still stood behind her as she undid the buttons on her shirt. She slid it off her good shoulder first and then let it fall off her bad shoulder. Tommy could see her bare back and the bandages that covered the burns.

He wanted to protect her modesty, but he wanted her to know that she was still gorgeous in his eyes. He stepped forward and kissed her gently on her good shoulder. She wanted so badly to lean back against him, but she knew the amount of pain it would cause. Her voice was slightly hoarse, but she whispered, "That's nice."

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" he answered back.

She smirked, "I'm covered in bruises and burns, I would highly doubt I look beautiful."

He ran his finger across her shoulders and gently down her good side. He stopped at her waist and wrapped his hand around her hip, holding her close to him without allowing her to lean against him. His face side by side with hers, "There aren't enough words to tell you, bruises, burns and all, how beautiful you are."

He kissed the side of her head and held out the tank top she had worn the last few nights. She slid her arms into it and he pulled it up her arms and gently over her head. He cautiously pulled it down over her back and averted his gaze from her breasts, as she pulled it down in the front. She turned around to face him, looking up into his soft brown eyes, "I love you."

"I love you too Red, I always have." He responded, the tenderness in his voice overwhelmed her.

"When I was trapped in the fire, it was you. You were the one I was afraid I would never see again. I knew if I died I would see my mom, Jack, and Clara; but you were the one that ran through my mind. You were the one I was terrified I wouldn't ever get to see again or tell you how I really feel."

"Well, I'm here now and you are safe. So tonight, let's just lie here and enjoy each other's company." He said, wanting to wrap her in his arms and hold her for the rest of the night and the rest of their lives.

"Don't let go?" she whispered softly.

"I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." He answered, knowing eventually he would have to go back to Japan and she would go back to Hawaii, but for tonight, he was going to hold her and make all the bad memories disappear.


	69. Chapter 69: Harder Than Anticipated

**To those that continue to read, thank you so much! To those that leave notes, I want you to know that they really make my day. I received a note today on this story and it just made my heart smile. So thank you! Hopefully you will all continue to enjoy this story because there is a lot of stuff to come. Thanks for all your support. ~Avy73**

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He relished the warmth of her body as she curled into his chest. She lay on her good side, her bad arm resting gently on Tommy's chest and he softly traced circles up and down it. He wanted her to relax and just let the medicine take away the pain that had been written across her face ever since she quit taking the painkiller.

As he continued to stroke her arm, he could feel her body slowly loosen. He could hear the change in her breathing and he knew the drugs had kicked in. It had happened faster than he expected, but he also realized that with little food in her system, they were going to hit her hard.

He continued to hold her, and he burned the memory of her in his arms into his brain. It would be a few months before he would be able to see her again after they left Silver Pond. He knew those months were going to be hell for her. He had helped her through the incident and he knew every night after it had happened, she relived the horror of that experience. She fought sleep each and every night because Woods would reappear with a vengeance, slicing her thigh open and pawing at her like the despicable monster that he was. She would wake up screaming for him to stop and once Tommy realized what was happening, he made it a point to be there for her.

Now he would be an ocean away from her and he wouldn't be able to hold her as she cried her eyes out or rub her back until her breathing returned to normal. He would have to rely on Steve to be there for her. He trusted Steve and knew the man would do anything for Red, but he wished he could be there for her. He knew that holding her tightly to his chest gave her a sense of security. He knew that she would hide her face between his neck and shoulder, until she could compose herself and was ready to face the world. She was his soulmate and he wanted nothing more than to be there for her. This was going to suck.

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After Mrs. Roberts had turned in for the evening, Steve continued to sit on the back porch and listen to the wind through the trees. That was the only sound that reminded him of home. All the other sounds he heard were different. There were the bullfrogs in the pond three blocks over near the train tracks that were singing their hearts out. Then there was the sound of the cicadas. He hadn't heard this sound in a long time, it took him back to one of his missions. The sounds of his sister's childhood home reminded him of violent times in his life. He doubted he would ever find the sound of cicadas soothing.

He sat on the chair, conflicted. He knew he needed to call Malia and get some insight from her on how to deal with everything, but honestly, he wanted to talk with Danny. He knew Danny would help him put everything in perspective. He thumbed through his phone until he found Danny's name, he tapped on his name, and listened to the ringing.

"SuperSEAL, what's the word? How's everything in Kansas?" Danny was concerned, but he was hiding it with humor. Steve could read his partner and he was thankful for the attempt at humor.

"It's good to hear your voice."

"Feeling is mutual babe. How's she doing?"

"She basically checked herself out of the hospital this morning. The doctor wanted her to stay, but she managed to convince him to let her go home."

"Sounds like someone I know." Danny replied, smirking internally at the thought of Steve having to deal with a younger, female version of himself. This was bound to be entertaining when she was healthy.

"She's stubborn, more so than me." Steve responded, and before Danny could mouth a response, he continued, "She has pushed everything down and won't process it. She's barely eating and after we went to the Sherriff's station to answer their questions, she got sick and I didn't catch it. I missed the fact that this is eating her from the inside out and making her physically ill. What if I'm not supposed to bring her back to the islands Danny? What if she's safer and healthier here. I'm not ready to give up the sister I just met, but maybe her being here with the Roberts as she recovers is the right answer."

Danny could hear Steve take another breath, and he knew his partner wasn't done freaking out. However, he decided to take pity on Steve, "Steven, she's going to recover from this, both physically and mentally. So, take a deep breath and slow down for a minute."

Danny could hear his partner actually follow his advice and take the deep breath he had told him to take. Danny decided to tackle each point Steve had brought up, "She's been through a terribly traumatic experience. This is the second time she's been kidnapped in six months and this is going to be a bitch for her to get through, but she's tough. So right now, she's fighting to forget what happened, to move on like it never happened. You and I both know that it is going to raise its ugly head, but for now, you need to let her process this however she's going to handle it. You forcing her to talk about it isn't going to get her to open up."

Steve laughed to himself, Danny's advice sounded funny coming from the man who talked everything to death, but Steve listened to Danny's words. He wasn't wrong, he knew when he came home after missions that had gone sideways, he would force down all the emotions, until he was ready to deal with it. Azucena was a lot like him, so he needed to let her find her stride and process this however she was going to. He just knew he needed to keep an eye on her, not to let her run herself ragged and make sure she ate.

Steve tuned back into Danny's voice, "You should ask her if she wants to come back home or stay at the Roberts'. Tommy has to go back to Japan, and as much as she loves his family, she's building her life here. Her job and classes are here. Knowing your sister, she will want to get back to school as fast as possible. Give her the opportunity to make the decision for herself, but I'm almost positive she will want to come home with you."

Steve weighed Danny's words and felt relief when he realized Danny was right. She loved her job and Steve knew how important school was to her, so it would make sense for her to want to come home with him. If Tommy was still in Kansas, things might be different, but he was on the other side of he world. Azucena's life was in Hawaii.

"As for safer? I can't imagine her being safer than living with you. You helped her regain her sense of security after the first WoFat encounter and you are the super protective big brother, which she handles surprisingly well. I don't think there is a safer person in the world than your sister."

"I would believe the last thing you said if she hadn't just been kidnapped and left to burn to death in a fire."

"Well, that psychopath is in a maximum security prison, so he is no longer a threat."

"Point taken." Steve responded, as he considered everything Danny had pointed out to him. He was really thankful Danny was part of his life. "How's Gracie?"

"She's good, I'm getting ready to pick her up from school. They went to the aquarium today, so she will tell me all about it as we drive home."

"Well, hopefully she had a good time."

"I'm certain she did." Danny answered, "When are you guys coming home?"

"I'm thinking the day after tomorrow, but I'm going to run it by her and see what she's thinking."

"Good plan, how are you doing?"

"I'm tired and I'm ready to sleep in my own bed." He answered honestly.

"Makes sense, I'm mean, you've been gone for almost three weeks." Observed Danny. Steve hadn't thought about it, but it had felt like quite a while since he had been home. Danny interrupted his thoughts, "Get some rest and let me know how tomorrow goes."

"Will do, night Danno."

"Night Steve."

They disconnected, and Steve headed to bed.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

 _She saw the slack face of Short Man, his eyes empty. She saw the blood pooling around this stomach and the puddle that surrounded him. She turned away, only to be confronted with the dead body of Tall and Skinny collapsed onto the floor, blood seeping out of the bullet wound in his forehead, she swallowed back the bile rising in her throat. She turned to run away from the sight but was stopped in her tracks._

 _WoFat stood five feet from her and every part of her body wanted to run out of this giant factory, but it was as if her feet were nailed to the floor. She couldn't move and the icy fear of what was to come terrified her. She watched him flick a lighter in his right hand, "These two men are dead because of you."_

 _He circled her, and she couldn't move. She was trapped, but she couldn't locate what was keeping her in this spot. She wanted so badly to get away from the monster, but her body wouldn't budge._

" _Mr. Koester is dead because of you as well." He said, she could feel his breath on her right ear. He was too close to her. She continued to hear the click of the lighter and she could tell he continued to circle her, "But that's okay little sister, you're not going to live much longer."_

 _She watched in horror as the lighter flew over her right shoulder and landed, flame burning bright in a puddle of what she thought was blood from Tall and Skinny, but it went up in flames like gasoline._

" _See you later, little sister." He cackled at her, as he ran from the building. She tried to move, but every muscle in her body was frozen in place. She could smell the gasoline, and as she fought against the imaginary force that kept her stuck in place, she began to smell the burning flesh._

" _NO, NO, NO, LET ME OUT OF HERE! NO!"_

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

Tommy heard her whimper in her sleep, he could feel the teardrops seeping through his t-shirt, and he quickly became alert. He could feel her body trembling against his, and he was surprised with the strength in her bad arm, as she pushed against his torso. He gently placed his hand on top of hers and tried to calm her, "Red, you're safe. He isn't here. You're with me, sleeping in my room."

"NO, NO, NO, LET ME OUT OF HERE! NO!" She cried out, and her eyes flew open to see the sad look on Tommy's face as she fought against the imaginary monster that was Tommy's torso. Tears streaked down her cheeks, she was struggling to breath, her shoulder screamed in pain as she continued to fight against Tommy.

He did what he had done in the past, he quickly pulled her to his chest. He held her to him and talked her down from the monsters in the nightmare, "Baby, it's okay. He's not here; I've got you."

She grabbed his shoulder with her bad arm and buried her face into his neck, sobbing as she remembered everything from the dream. The dreadful grin on WoFat's face, as he told her those two men and Mr. Koester were dead because of her. The speed of the spreading fire, as she tried to move her legs. The smell, the terrible smell of burning flesh.

"Make it stop, I need it to stop." She cried into his shoulder, as he ran his hand through her hair, his other arm wrapped tightly around the part of her back that was burn free. He knew that holding her tightly to his body would calm her down.

"It wasn't real. It was just a dream. You're here with me." He answered, his voice soft and soothing.

"It was so real. I could feel the flames and the smell . . . oh the smell!" She couldn't bring herself to elaborate on the smell. She had tried to wash that from her memory and she had done a good job, until tonight. She continued to sob into his shoulder, as he comforted her.

"Shhh baby, it's okay. I've got you, you're safe with me." His heart ached as he listened to her wheeze through the tears and when she was done, she stayed tucked into his chest, "It was so real Tommy."

"I bet it was." He answered, acknowledging the fear that he could feel race through her body. He could still feel the slight shiver than ran the length of her body.

"He was there and so were the bodies of those two men. They were dead on the floor of the factory and he lit the building on fire and I couldn't move. He ran and left me there again, with those dead bodies."

"It sounds terrible." He answered, recognizing the horror of the dream and why she reacted the way she did. She was reliving everything she had experienced, and he knew this would continue for the next few months.

"I wish it would go away." She said, her voice cracking.

"I know baby, I do too." He responded, he kissed the top of her head. He wanted more than anything to take away her pain and the terror, but the only thing he could do was hold her and wait for this to pass. It was harder than he remembered.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve woke instantly to the sound of his sister screaming. His natural reaction was to jump out of bed and run to her room, but the moment he was out of bed, he remembered where they were. He knew it wouldn't be acceptable for him to barge into Tommy's room. So, he stood in the darkness of the room, listening for further sounds from his sister.

He realized that no sounds were good sign. It meant Tommy was taking care of her and she was perfectly fine. It was just a bad dream. He crawled back under the sheets, closed his eyes, and tried to fall back asleep. It took him longer than he would like to admit to fall asleep because the protective big brother in him wanted to check on her and make sure everything was okay. This was hard.


	70. Chapter 70: Home?

Steve awoke early the next morning. He slept like the dead, but he heard the soft footsteps overhead and knew someone was awake. He considered turning over and going back to sleep, but thought a run sounded better. He threw on some workout clothes and quietly ascended the stairs.

Mrs. Roberts was in the kitchen, reading the front page of the town paper from the previous evening and sipping a cup of coffee, "Morning."

"Morning, Ma'am." Steve nodded at her.

"Going for a run?"

"Thought I would sneak one in." he answered her.

"Enjoy it." And Steve let himself out the back door and ran down the driveway. He turned left and ran past Azucena's old house. He studied the front of it and then the long driveway that led to the detached garage. He could see the old covered porch that housed many chairs; just like the Roberts' back porch.

He turned right and onto Main Street. It was so early that all the businesses were closed as he ran past them: the tavern, the hardware store, the bank, and then the diner. He slowed down as he passed the diner and really inspected it. It was open and there were a few people sitting at the counter drinking coffee and eating breakfast. The old man behind the counter was bald with tufts of white hair poking out of the side of his head. He could almost picture his sister waiting on all those customers, with a genuine smile stretched across her face.

He continued down the road and curved with it as he ran past the Church of the Nazarene and then the local school. Mentally, he could see Frog, Tommy, and Azucena walking up to school with their backpacks loaded down with books and their lunch pails. He liked the feeling of this town and he could understand how she loved it.

It didn't take too long for Steve to run the length of the town, it was barely two miles long. He took the path back that he had taken out and then found a gravel road with a large hill in the distance. He followed the road and slowly climbed the hill. He thought Kansas was flat and was pleasantly surprised by the burning in his lungs as he slowly climbed the underrated hill.

As he climbed, he thought about what Azucena had told him about WoFat and everything he had shared with her. Sarah Miller was a name Steve was going to have to research when he returned to the office. He was curious if that had anything to do with Shelbourne, or if they were two completely different topics. The fact that his mother had helped raise WoFat unnerved him and he was curious if it was part of her mission as a CIA agent or if she was friends with the family. He needed to call Joe. That was a phone call for later in the day.

His mind skipped ahead to what she had said about their father. _It's not your fault. No matter what happened that day, he had signed Dad's death certificate. His people were going to kill Dad whether he gave them the information he wanted or not._

Steve knew when he picked the phone up that day that there wasn't going to be a good outcome. He had pretty much assumed that HPD wasn't going to make it to the house in time and if they did, his father was already a hostage. Thinking about that day tore away at his heart because he had blamed himself for the outcome. He had chased the Hesse brothers around the globe as part of his job. He always assumed his father was targeted because of his job. He hadn't thought that WoFat had a hand in it. He felt the heavy burden of guilt lift from his shoulders. There was still the sadness and a sense of loss when he thought about that day, but he no longer felt the guilt in the pit of his stomach.

When he reached the top of the hill, he saw a cemetery on the right-hand side of the road. He entered and walked along the grave markers. He could tell the cemetery had been around for at least a century. The older grave markers were towards the entrance, and as he walked deeper into the cemetery, the trees providing plenty of shade, he read the names and the years on the markers. None of the names were familiar, until he stumbled upon a grave that was surrounded by pink, purple, and white vinca flowers. The flowers were just starting to bloom, and he knew in a month, they would surround the entire headstone.

He glanced at the name on the marker, _Pressgrove_. Further down, it showed the names, Jack and Clara their dates of birth and death. He studied the grave and thought about his sister's fascination with the flowers in their backyard; he knew she was responsible for the flowers growing around the grave. It was her touch on making their final resting place beautiful.

It reminded him that her heart was beautiful, and it made him wonder if she had done the same thing for their mother's grave. He didn't even know where their mother was buried. That was something he would have to ask Azucena. Did she know or even remember? This was something he could look up and he was a little surprised with himself that he hadn't already researched this when he researched Azucena. However, he was so focused on finding out everything about her, he hadn't thought about his mother's body not being in her own grave. Whose body was buried in the cemetery back home? Or was there even a body there?

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Tommy woke to the feeling of her fingers gently brushing his arm. She was awake and running her fingers up and down his forearm. He had to admit, it felt amazing.

"That's nice." He said, as he cleared his throat.

"Your skin is soft." She observed, and she looked up at his soft, brown eyes.

"How do you feel?" he questioned, as he ran his fingers through her loose hair. He wasn't certain when the braid came out of her hair in the night, but he loved her hair loose and down. He loved how silky it was as he ran his fingers through it.

"Honestly, I need to get up. My body is all sorts of stiff."

"We can do that." He responded, and he helped maneuver the two of them into a sitting position. He could see a grimace of pain flash across her face. He knew her back was causing her terrible pain, but she was stubborn and wasn't going to admit it. He knew she was doing everything in her power to avoid taking the painkillers again.

"How does your back feel?" he asked, as he stood up from the bed. She was still sitting on the edge, looking at the bedroom floor.

"It hurts." She answered, honestly. What she wasn't telling him was how she felt like the walls of the room were closing in on her. She felt trapped in this room, not that there was anything wrong with the room itself. She had spent plenty of nights sleeping here, but today, it felt like she was suffocating in the room.

"The doctor said to let it breathe a little each day. Do you want to take the bandages off your back for a little bit?"

"No, I don't want to mess with it right now." She answered, as she stood up. She looked around the room for the button down she had worn yesterday. Once she located it, she worked to pull it on over her tank top. She didn't bother to button it, she just didn't want everyone to see the bandages all over her back. Tommy helped her with the sling.

She dug through her suitcase until she found her sweatpants because she knew it was going to be a chilly spring morning and she wanted nothing more than to go outside and sit on the swing. Tommy saw her pull out the sweatpants and spoke up, "Want some privacy?"

"Nah, you're fine." She responded, he had seen her in her swimsuit. Changing out of her night shorts into sweatpants wasn't too big of a deal at this point, or at least that's what she was telling herself. If she waited for him to leave the room, it would take longer for her to get outside. She really needed to breath some fresh air and not be surrounded by four walls. She changed as quickly as she could with one hand and looked at him. "I need to be outside, I was thinking about the swing this morning."

He studied her, she looked lost and sad, but he also saw a sense of panic in her. He wasn't certain if she was beginning to feel trapped and that was what was causing her subtle panic or if it was something else. He took her good hand into his, "Sitting out on the swing sounds like a good idea. How about I make some coffee and tea and I meet you out there?"

"That would be lovely." She responded, and they walked up the basement stairs. She almost ran out the back door, she was so focused on being in the open. She sat down on the chair and curled up in the corner, her good shoulder leaning against the back of the swing and her back not touching anything. She placed her hand on her chest and took in a deep breath. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of her town and she could slowly feel her heartrate return to normal.

This wasn't right, but she chalked it up to being trapped in that old factory. She was going to have to figure out a way to get over this.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve jogged up the driveway and spotted his sister sitting on the swing in the backyard. He could see her hand resting on her chest and he knew that was a bad sign. Something had upset her, and she was calming herself down. As he walked closer, he could see her eyes were closed and she was focused on her breathing.

He waited until she opened her eyes and walked towards the swing. He knew that approaching her with her eyes closed was a recipe for disaster right now. She was going to be jumpy and shaky for a while, so he knew any surprise movements wouldn't be welcome.

"Morning." He said, as he approached the swing and sat on the other end.

"Hey, get a run in already?"

"Yeah, it's a neat little town." He responded, trying to keep things light right now.

"Where all did you go?" she asked, curious what he saw and what he thought of everything.

"I ran to the other end and back and then I ran up that hill, through the cemetery, and back. That hill is much steeper than it looks."

"Yeah, it always seems to last forever when you climb it." She said, looking over at it in the distance.

"How'd you sleep last night?" he asked, waiting to see if she would change the subject or actually answer his question. He was slightly surprised when she answered, "It was a little rough, but I managed to sleep. Did I wake you up?"

"I heard you scream but thought Tommy might not like me barging into his room to check on you."

"He has always taken good care of me." She answered, smiling at the fact that he had always looked out for her, as long as she could remember.

"I see that." He responded, and then he hesitated. She noticed the confusion that painted his features. She figured it was just best to rip off the Band-Aid, "Something is eating at you, what is it?"

He wasn't certain he should bring it up, perhaps it was better to assume she was coming home with him. However, he wanted her to feel that she had control of her life. Lord knows the last few days her control and power had been taken away from her. He realized this was the third time that had happened in her life and he couldn't imagine how she was feeling, "I was just trying to figure out if you wanted to come back to the islands and heal or if it would be better for you to stay here and heal. Be with Tommy's family in a place you know and feel safe."

His words felt like a punch to the gut, was he done with her and trying to find a way to get rid of her? She knew her life was complicated, and she never intended to get kidnapped by WoFat the first time or this most recent time, but the man had managed to find ways to get her. Two of the top four most traumatizing experiences of her life took place in Silver Pond. It wasn't exactly a place where she felt safe anymore, but if he was done with her, she was certain she could start over here, or at least transfer back to the University of Kansas.

She pushed down the feelings of hurt and abandonment and prepared to say something. What she was going to say, she wasn't certain, but if he was done with her, she would put on the brave face. This is what she got for letting people in, hurt and pain.

Steve watched the emotions flicker across her face and he realized quickly that she misunderstood what he was saying to her. He could see the hurt and sadness flash across her face and then he saw her quickly flip to a muted expression. His sister was a master at pushing down emotions and he witnessed it in this second, "I don't want you to stay here, I want you to come back with me. But I understand if you don't feel safe back on the island. I'm not giving up on you and I'm not abandoning you, I just didn't know what you would want to do. You seem pretty comfortable here."

She processed his words, and she felt her heartrate slow down, her voice was barely a whisper, "I want to go back. I can't stay here; my life isn't here anymore. Staying here would be a step backwards and I can't afford to do that. I'm behind in school because of the first encounter with WoFat; I have to finish this semester and I like living with you. I feel a connection with you like I've never felt with anyone before. I'm comfortable with you. Please don't make me stay."

"Kiddo, I want you to come back. I was just afraid you wouldn't want to. We will both go back." He quickly answered, proud of the fact that she recognized staying here would be a step backwards. He leaned forward and tried to crack a joke, "I would hug you, but I'm covered in sweat."

"Raincheck." She responded, and he could see the weight of the situation dissipate from her body.

"We are going to have to go home soon." He answered, his voice serious.

"I agree, I have missed way more school than I anticipated." She nodded, her voice equally as serious, "I can check the airlines and see flights for the next few days."

"Don't worry about calling the airlines, I'll see if I can get us a flight back through the military. We might share a plane with some sailors, but that won't be a problem."

"Works for me." She answered, and Steve could hear a smile in her voice.


	71. Chapter 71: Joe's Invitation

As she sat on the plane, she reflected back on how hard it had been to say goodbye to the Roberts' family, especially Tommy. She thought about this morning and how it felt to be wrapped up in his arms, or as much as she could without him touching the burns. She felt safe with him and listening to the sound of his heartbeat through his bare chest was soothing to her fragile state of mind. She wasn't ready to part ways, but she knew she wasn't meant to stay in Silver Pond. She had to return to Hawaii to focus on her studies. She had to find some sense of normalcy to put this WoFat experience behind her.

She heard Steve rustle about in the seat next to her, she glanced over her shoulder. Her brother could sleep anywhere, he was passed out cold, along with the rest of the sailors on this airplane headed to Oahu. She was the only person awake in the darkness of the airplane, but that was her own fault. She wouldn't take any more of the pain medicine for the burns because she wanted to be in control. However, the ibuprofen she had been consuming was not doing anything to control the pain from her back. The burns were screaming at her, but she refused to do anything about it. She sat there in the dark, leaning against her good shoulder, listening to the sounds of snoring men. The flight seemed to last forever.

She thought about yesterday and sitting on the shore of Poe's creek as she watched Tommy, Mae, and Steve fish. Mae was enamored with Azucena's brother and Steve was incredibly patient with the little girl. When she managed to get a fish on the line, she watched the excitement on both their faces and the squeals of laughter from the little girl. They were only out for about an hour, but it had been a happy time for everyone. A time for them to forget about the horror of the past few days.

That happiness hadn't lasted long. When they returned to the house, Azucena took some painkillers and Tommy undid the bandages on her back, allowing the burns to breath. She curled up against the pillows in bed, her bare back free of any sheets, and she passed out quickly. The horrible dreams creeped into her brain and she was stuck back in the old soap factory, trying to find ways out of the smoke and fire. She woke screaming and crying from the nightmare, her whole body shaking from the absolute realness of it. Tommy held her until she calmed down. That night, it happened again. This was why she was wide awake on this flight, she didn't dare close her eyes and sleep. She knew if she did, she would wake this entire plane of sleeping sailors and she would be horrified.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

The sun was just beginning to rise over the tarmac, as Steve and Azucena departed from the plane. They could see Danny waiting for them, and he promptly engulfed Azucena in a hug, trying to maneuver around the burns, "Good to have you home, kid."

"Nice to be home Danny." She answered, and she could feel the protectiveness in Danny. She really had two brothers the more she thought about things. When he let her go, he quickly embraced Steve with their normal slap on the back hug, "Next time you leave, don't leave me a note you Neanderthal."

"Fair enough." Steve replied, as the hug ended. Steve carried Azucena's backpack with his travel bag. She wheeled her small suitcase behind her with her good arm. They piled into Danny's car and headed towards home. Steve was excited to sleep in his own bed and was planning for a few more hours of sleep. Azucena was thinking about sitting in the chair on the beach and listening to the sounds of the waves. She hadn't realized how addicted she had become to the sound.

As Danny pulled into the driveway, Steve was the first to notice Joe sitting on their front porch, but Danny was the first to speak up, "What the hell is he doing here?"

"Who?" asked Azucena, from the backseat. Her eyes landed on Joe, and she felt her pulse pick up and anger wash over her person.

"I doubt it is anything good." Answered Steve, as Danny placed the car in park. Steve and Danny both slid out, Steve pulled his seat forward, and helped Azucena out of the car. Danny had pulled all the bags from the trunk as Joe walked towards them, "Morning kids."

"Morning Joe." Responded Steve, as Danny and Azucena just stood there, watching everything.

"I heard you all managed to put WoFat in a maximum-security prison." Joe said, a giant smile crossing his face. Azucena shut down at this point of the conversation, Steve watched as she pulled her keys from her pocket and headed for the front door, pulling her suitcase behind her with her good arm. He knew she didn't want to talk about WoFat anymore and he could tell she was done with this conversation.

Danny grabbed Steve's travel bag and Azucena's backpack and followed the young woman into the house, leaving Steve to answer Joe's questions. "Yeah, we did. How'd you hear about that?"

"When an international arms dealer is caught, that information is hot news in certain communities." Joe glanced behind him, to Azucena's disappearing form, "How's she doing?"

Steve knew Azucena didn't trust Joe and if he was being honest with himself, his trust of Joe disappeared the day Azucena appeared. Steve ignored Joe's question, "What are you doing here Joe?"

"Well son, with WoFat behind bars, I can now answer some of the questions you have been asking me."

"What questions?" Steve asked, as he walked toward the house. Joe followed him into the house and they stopped in the kitchen, "Mainly, I can answer your questions about Shelbourne."

Danny was in the kitchen fighting with the coffee maker and Azucena was in the laundry room, emptying her suitcase when they both heard Joe's statement. Danny looked up at Joe and Steve, Azucena stood quietly in the laundry room, listening in.

"You're going to tell me who Shelbourne is now?" Steve asked Joe in disbelief.

"With WoFat behind bars, it is safe enough to take you both to Shelbourne."

"You're telling me, you know who and where Shelbourne is." Steve pushed down the rage that began simmering in his person.

"Yes."

"Is this from your conversation with Hiro Noshimuri?"

"No, I've known the whole time. That video was for WoFat to think that I killed Hiro. Hiro wanted me to help him fake his death, so WoFat would leave him alone. He wanted to leave the Yakuza to his son, and he didn't want Adam to have to deal with WoFat. So, Hiro asked me to help him fake his death, but everything Hiro said in that video is true. Shelbourne killed WoFat's father and Shelbourne is the only person WoFat fears."

Steve stood in the kitchen, stunned. He thought back to the dismembered body in the hotel bathroom, the body of Hiro Noshimuri. "Hiro's dead Joe."

"No, not really. I helped him fake his death. He's in a small town in the Japanese countryside."

Steve lowered his voice. He assumed Azucena was upstairs, and he didn't want her to hear what he was about to tell Joe, "He might have been in that town at one point in time, but the Japanese police and I found his body in a hotel bathtub minus his head, hands, and feet. WoFat led us to the body, he wanted us to know that he murdered Hiro, and then he went after Azucena."

Azucena heard Steve's words and then she heard the rush of blood in her ears. Her hands dropped the hoodie she had been holding. The image Steve described ran through her head, and she knew that she could have suffered the same fate as Hiro Noshimuri. She knew Hiro was a bad guy, but she hoped for his sake, he was dead before WoFat began to dismember him. She now understood how truly savage WoFat could be. She already knew he was pure evil, but she didn't understand how ruthless he was, until now.

Steve heard the metal zipper on the hoodie hit the tile floor. A look of panic flashed across his face and towards the laundry room, Danny spoke up, "Your sister's emptying her suitcase in the laundry room."

Steve walked towards the laundry room and took in the sight of his sister, she was still as a stone statue and her face was as white as chalk. He could tell she wasn't seeing him standing in the doorway, she was trapped in that factory, and now images of Hiro's dead body were dancing through her head.

He saw the tears streak down her cheeks and her breathing was completely wrong. He slowly approached her, "Azucena, can you look at me?"

She continued to stare off into space, Steve took two more steps, "'Cena, can you look at me?"

This time she heard his voice through the sound of the blood rushing in her ears. Her line of sight tracked to Steve and she looked up at him, the memory of her near-death encounter with WoFat crushing her chest. He watched her struggle to breath, he reached out, and placed his hand to her cheek, "Take a deep breath."

He mimed the action and only had to repeat himself once more before she followed his direction. She was two breaths in before the dam of tears broke, and the sobbing began. Steve gently pulled her to his chest and tried to comfort her. He knew she would struggle with overcoming the horror of almost dying at the hands of WoFat, but he had wanted to spare her this knowledge of Hiro's death. What WoFat had done to her was horrific, but she didn't need to know how vicious he had been to Hiro.

As he tried to comfort his sister, he thought about Joe's words. He had known who Shelbourne was all along. He had kept this information from them, so he could keep Shelbourne safe. It didn't matter that WoFat had tortured them both the first time and almost killed Azucena the second time. It appeared the Joe valued Shelbourne more than he valued them. When it came to Joe, things were going to change.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Danny listened as Steve comforted his distraught sister, he looked to Joe, "I think it's time for you to leave now."

"Tell Steve to call me when they are ready to meet Shelbourne." Said Joe, he promptly turned and let himself out of the house.

Danny stared up at the ceiling, this was the last thing Steve and Azucena needed right now. They needed to heal and find their stride in the real world, both of them. Danny could see the wounds on Azucena and the emotional turmoil running through her person, but Steve was just as messed up. He had seen his sister be tortured once and witnessed as she was barely rescued from a fire after she was tortured a second time. He could see the damage WoFat had inflicted on his partner, the doubt and wondering if he was a good person to be around his sister. If she was better off somewhere far from him. Danny knew that wasn't the right answer, and he knew they needed time to heal. Introducing some random stranger into the mix was the worst idea ever. He just needed to help Steve see that right now.


	72. Chapter 72: Where Do We Go From Here?

Azucena managed to regulate her breathing, and she forced herself to stop crying. Tears were not going to fix how Hiro Noshimuri died and she sure wasn't mourning the loss of the head of the Yakuza. She wasn't prepared for what she had overheard, and it hit her much harder than she expected; she could feel the anxiety in her chest and it continued to tighten. She looked up at Steve, "I need to be outside, the walls are closing in on me. I'm sorry."

Steve wasn't surprised. He had observed that ever since her second encounter with WoFat, when things were overwhelming, she found her balance outdoors. He was certain it was a side effect from being trapped in the burning building.

"It's fine." He said, as he watched her almost run out of the laundry room.

She rushed past Danny in the kitchen, pouring two cups of coffee. She opened the door to the lanai and sucked large breaths of air into her labored lungs. This wasn't normal, and it sure wasn't healthy.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Danny walked to the door of the laundry room and held out a mug of coffee for SuperSEAL. Steve stepped over the open suitcase and against every fiber of his being, left the mess where it was at. He had bigger issues on his hands and the suitcase of laundry could be dealt with later. Steve took the mug of coffee from Danny, "Thanks man."

"It's not much, but it will help a little."

"Joe leave?" Steve asked, as he followed Danny back into the kitchen.

"Yeah, I told him it was probably the appropriate time for him to make his exit." Explained Danny.

"He knew all along who Shelbourne was and he wouldn't tell either of us. We were tortured for information on Shelbourne and he pretended to know nothing." Steve could feel the anger rising in him, and it was coming out in his voice. Danny understood the rage he was hearing from his friend and patiently acted as a sounding board.

"Now I have to wonder how deep is he in with the Yakuza if he was helping Hiro Noshimuri fake his own death?" Steve wondered, as he paced the kitchen. "Who is Shelbourne? Is Shelbourne a threat to us? If we know the identity of Shelbourne do we have a target on our backs?"

Danny interrupted Steve's ramblings, "Babe, these are all good questions and honestly, it may take some time to figure out the answers to them. However, the big question is, "Are you guys okay?'"

Steve pulled the barstool out from under the island and collapsed onto it, defeat in his voice, "I don't know what to do Danny. She's barely sleeping, she won't take the pain medicine for the burns, I've watched her eat over the last few days and it's minimal, and I know when things overwhelm her, she feels trapped. Like she's back in that building and can't get out. I didn't tell her the details of Hiro's death because I was afraid of how she would handle it. I know this is a normal civilian reaction, but I don't know if I'm helping her or making things worse. Right now, I feel like it's worse."

Danny leaned down against the island and looked at Steve, "That kid needs you and you need her. It might get worse before it gets better, but it will get better."

"Danny" Steve began, but Danny shut him down, "I'm not done. You both have been through hell. She was tortured and trapped in that burning building, expecting to die. But you, you found a dismembered body and then realized that the man who did that had someone kidnap your sister and you didn't know if you would be able to save her. You flew half way around the world waiting to find out if she would be found alive or not. I can't imagine the agony of that flight and car drive, but you survived it.

"The key word is survived. You both haven't recovered from what you experienced and that is a hell of a long road and you will both need each other. So, here's my advice, take the time to heal and recover before you even entertain the thought of traipsing anywhere in the world with Joe to discover who Shelbourne is. I know every part of you wants the answer to that question, but you don't know if Shelbourne is a threat to your family and you need to both be in the right state of mind before you invite any type of uncertainty and chaos into your worlds."

Steve looked at Danny, he was right. They needed to find some semblance of normalcy before they even consider finding and meeting Shelbourne. "You're right man, we have a long road to travel before we are ready for Shelbourne."

"Take it as slow as you guys need. WoFat's doing multiple life sentences and I get the impression Joe isn't going anywhere, so do this on the timetable that suits the both of you."

"Thanks man." Steve said, as he sipped his coffee.

"Now go check on your sister." Danny said, as he finished his coffee and put his empty cup in the sink. "Call me later today."

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

He refilled his coffee mug, grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, and stepped out onto the lanai. He could see the outline of her person, sitting cross-legged on the grass. He assumed she couldn't find a comfortable position in the chairs on the beach.

He shuffled his feet as he walked down towards the beach. He sat down in the grass next to her and handed her the bottle of water, "Hey kiddo."

"Thanks." She responded, as she took the bottle of water from him. She looked back out at the water and just relished in the sound of the waves lapping on shore. The sound soothed the fear and anxiety from her body.

"Doing better?" he asked.

"Yeah, sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. It's just I heard him walk into the house and tell you that he could answer questions about Shelbourne. I want nothing to do with Joe, but the fact that he says he knew all along just made me so angry."

"I'm not upset that you heard my conversation with Joe. You have every right to hear what he told me." Steve paused, he wasn't certain how to address the Hiro situation, "I didn't want to tell you about Hiro. I can't imagine the agony of everything you went through, I didn't think you needed to know what WoFat did to Hiro on top of everything else."

"I get it," she responded, as she continued to look out at the waves, "You were trying to protect me. You didn't keep Hiro's death by WoFat a secret from me. You just left out all the gory details. I can understand it and I appreciate it. I just wasn't prepared to hear it and process it."

Steve was hesitant but thought it best to just step out onto the already thin limb, "I was thinking, maybe it would help you process everything if you talked to someone about it."

"It's too dangerous." She whispered, and Steve couldn't figure out what was so dangerous now. WoFat was in prison and he was never getting out, "He's in prison."

"So was Woods," She countered, her voice soft "but that didn't last. Steve, WoFat hates us so much, that if he ever gets out, he will kill me. I can't risk someone knowing all my fears and writing them down on a piece of paper that's protected by a flimsy key in a filing cabinet. Nothing is safe anymore."

Her words punched him in the gut, she was truly terrified, and it didn't matter that WoFat was behind bars. He knew these two attacks shook her, but he hadn't realized the extent of her fears. He thought it might be best to help her understand a little, "Do you know what a Supermax prison is?"

"I assume it's prison with more guards and guns." She answered him, honestly.

"It has both of those, but it's generally reserved for the worst of the worst criminals. The people held in a supermax are kept in solitary confinement most all of the time. They don't have a roommate, the doors to their cells are solid steel doors with a port that allows the guards to send their meals through the door to them. The doors are sound proof and the prisoner gets no special opportunities. They don't get to have a tv, they don't get to go to the prison library, church services, or anything like that. They get one hour of outdoor time a day, and they are kept in an area by themselves, so they can't interact with anyone else." He paused, letting her take in everything he had shared with her.

"You're telling me that he has almost no possibility of escape." She observed, as she continued to stare out at the water.

"Yes, and the fact that he is doing triple life sentences without the possibility of parole means someone might as well take the key to his cell and throw it in the ocean. He isn't getting out and he can't come after you anymore."

"What about if someone comes to him." She questioned, "He has minions everywhere Steve."

"The Warden of the prison has to approve any visitation to the prisoners of a Supermax prison and most of the time, those are denied. If anyone is approved to visit him, it would most likely be someone in the law enforcement community." He watched her out of the corner of his eye, her shoulders relaxed a little bit, not much, but a little.

"I'll think about it." She responded, her eyes never leaving the water. He took that as a simple victory. At least she would think about it. That was all he could ask, and he was surprised when she changed the subject, "When do we go with Joe to find Shelbourne?"

"Danny said something to me before I came out here and I wanted to run it by you."

"Shoot."

"He said that we are both still recovering from this latest go round with WoFat and said it would probably be a good idea for us to stick around here and recover. Find our bearings and a sense of normalcy before we track down Shelbourne. He said we weren't certain what type of new chaos Shelbourne might bring."

"He's not wrong." She observed, and then she looked at Steve, trying to find the right words to use, "And if we are being honest, I can't handle anymore close encounters for a while."

"Me either, kiddo, me either." She nudged him with her good shoulder and he looked over at her and smiled. They sat on the beach a little while longer, and just enjoyed the peace and tranquility the waves brought in.


	73. Chapter 73: The Path to Shelbourne

They both stayed firmly planted in Hawaii for the balance of Azucena's school year. She withdrew from her dancing class to allow her shoulder and back to heal, but she threw herself into her studies and slowly resumed work once her shoulder had mended. Steve kept a close eye on her, for her safety and for his own peace of mind. He had almost lost her, and that scared him more than he was willing to admit. However, he knew WoFat was no longer a threat and he slowly relaxed.

Her nights were plagued with night terrors and tears, but as time passed, she found a way to manage them. It was probably the fact that she ran eight miles every morning, but Steve understood her approach and didn't stop her. He merely ran alongside her most mornings and made sure she was safe. Occasionally they would talk about what had happened, but they mostly worked to put it behind them both.

As the summer approached, she took two classes to play catch up after her first semester's abrupt ending and continued to work as much as possible. She danced on her own schedule, ensuring that her back was always covered by either a leotard or a sweater. Her back had healed but she covered the scars as often as possible. The first day she swam after the WoFat encounter, Steve had been surprised when she walked out of the house in a rashguard. However, after the initial shock wore off, he thought about his sister and how she didn't appreciate attention. He knew people would see the scars and would stare and this was her simple way to fix it and blend in at the same time.

In June, Steve stayed a weekend at Pearl to fulfill his Reserve duty requirements and that weekend tested his patience. He knew she would be perfectly fine, and she had multiple resources available to her during his absence, but he still worried. Danny had called and checked up on her multiple times during that weekend, but she spent most of her time working and studying. She had thrown herself into her studies.

The team spent the 4th of July at the McGarrett house and enjoyed a day of grilling, swimming and soccer on the small beach. Catherine had been able to grab a few days of R&R and joined everyone. Azucena was happy to be able to thank Catherine in person for all her help and their friendship grew stronger over that weekend.

It was the end of July, and as Steve sat in rush hour traffic, he considered the progress both of them had made. He didn't stress about her when she didn't answer her phone right away, and he didn't immediately flip to the tracking app and find her location. Her nightmares were fewer and she was back to dancing and running. Her appetite wasn't back to where it should be, but her face was no longer as gaunt as it had been, and the dark circles under her eyes were non-existent. It had taken them quite some time, but he felt it was time to approach the discussion on Shelbourne.

As he walked into the house, he saw her sitting at the kitchen table, she was in her chef pants and an undershirt. Her hair pulled back into a double French braid and weaved together at the bottom. He could tell she hadn't heard him enter and he noticed her earbuds were the culprit. He opened the fridge and pulled out a Long Board. He hollered at her from the kitchen, "Hey!"

"Hey yourself!" she yelled back at him and removed her earbuds. He walked into the dining room and looked down at her textbook, "You have a lot of homework tonight?"

"Not really, just prepping for my final on Friday." She responded, as she looked up at him.

He pulled out a chair at the table and sat down. She straightened up, he didn't normally join her at the table when she was studying. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking on my drive home and wanted to get your opinion on some stuff." He answered, as he leaned forward.

"Shelbourne?" she questioned.

"How'd you know?" he asked.

"It's been three months and you haven't mentioned it once. I figured you were growing antsy and it was only a matter of time before you brought it up." She smiled and leaned back, "Besides, you never sit down at the table when I'm studying."

"I can let you finish, and we can discuss this later." He offered, sincerely.

"No, you're fine. It's probably time to talk about it anyways." She paused, and looked him in the eye, "You're ready?"

"Yeah, but if you aren't, I can wait longer." He said, genuine patience in his voice. She smiled, but he could see that the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Shelbourne had weighed heavily on her the last few months and she really considered if this was something she wanted to pursue. She felt guilty for what she was about to say, but they had always been honest with each other, and she felt that she owed him a completely honest answer, "I've thought about Shelbourne a lot the past few months."

"If you want to go, I want you to go and find the answers you need to find. But I don't want anything to do with Shelbourne. WoFat is a terrible human being and if Shelbourne is the only person he fears, I don't think I need to know Shelbourne." She paused, "I'm nineteen years old. My main concerns should be school, friends, and guys; and WoFat has turned my life upside down. I can barely stand at the bus stop at night without looking over my shoulder. I'm going to be selfish when I say this, but I think it's time for me to focus on living my life and Shelbourne doesn't get to be a part of it. Can you understand that?"

Steve watched his sister as she told him her thoughts, and he knew she spoke the truth. She had a plan and WoFat had already disturbed her plans. He could tell she was focused on her future and to go down the rabbit trail that was Shelbourne, would pull her from her plan. The idea of discovering who Shelbourne was didn't appeal to her like it had him. She was dedicated and focused.

The last three months had been long for him, but he understood why they needed to heal. Danny wasn't wrong, they didn't know what Shelbourne would bring to their worlds. Would he put a target on their back? Was it a trap? He had to find the answers for the both of them, but he also understood her thought process.

"I get it." He answered, and she could tell that he truly understood her answer.

"You're not mad?" she questioned, the concern that he might be was printed on her face.

"I'm not mad at all." He said, as he took a swig of beer. "Your thought process is right on point. We don't know anything about Shelbourne and he could be someone we don't need in our lives. However, that is something I have to find out. I need this information to keep our family safe. Does that make sense to you?"

"Completely, but I feel like I'm bailing on you. We've endured all of the WoFat terror together, but I feel like I'm just quitting and making you deal with Shelbourne on your own."

"You aren't quitting on me." He made sure he was keeping eye contact with her. He wanted her to understand that the decision she was making was the right decision for her. "You're a nineteen-year-old civilian who has been through hell multiple times. You are making a decision that is safe and healthy for you. Don't ever think you are quitting on me because you are making a decision that is healthy for you."

"Do you trust Joe enough to do this?"

"I don't trust Joe, but I don't think he would lure me into a trap. For some reason, I think he really wants me to know who Shelbourne is, so I will be fine."

"When will you go?" she quizzed him.

"I'll call Joe tonight and see what happens."

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

As Steve sat on the plane with Joe, he thought back to earlier in the morning. He knew he was doing the right thing by meeting Shelbourne; but leaving Azucena in Hawaii had been more difficult than he had imagined. He knew she would be fine, but the fierceness of her hug that morning reminded him of her vulnerability. She said the same words to him that she told him when he left to track WoFat the previous time, and he could see her fight back tears, "Just make sure you come home."

He tried his hardest to reassure her, and tried to keep it upbeat, "I'll be home before you know it. If you need anything call me or Danny."

"I'll be fine." She said, as she quickly ended the hug. He kissed her on top of the head and climbed into Joe's truck. As they pulled out of the driveway, he could see the fear on her face that she tried so hard to hide. He knew he was doing the right thing for the three of them.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve could see the lanterns on shore, as the small dinghy slowly worked its way toward the dock. Joe had been adamant that they wait until nightfall to meet Shelbourne and Steve was surprised to find Shelbourne in such a small village. For someone who carried the power to inflict fear upon WoFat, this small fishing community wasn't exactly where he imagined they would end up.

As they walked down the dirt covered streets, Steve could feel the excitement and tension build in his chest. He wasn't certain who he would encounter, but each step brought him closer to someone Joe described as a very dear friend and someone he admired. Joe was being cagey as usual; and Steve wanted to ask questions but thought it best to wait until after he met Shelbourne.

They walked up the little porch of a small cottage, and Joe looked to Steve, "This is where I leave you son. The rest of this, you'll have to do yourself."

Joe knocked on the door, turned, and walked away. Steve turned to yell at Joe, trying to figure out what the old man was up to, but he heard the door open behind him. Steve quickly turned around and was shocked by the face staring back at him. He hadn't seen that face in twenty years, but he would know it anywhere. His breath caught in his chest and he had to remind himself to breath, as he exhaled one word, "Mom?"

He was processing everything, as the two arms he had known all his life reached out and enveloped him in a hug, "Steven!"


	74. Chapter 74: Mom?

**This was an interesting chapter to write. Part of the dialogue, you will recognize from the show, the other dialogue is my own creation. I don't own Hawaii Five-0 or the characters, I just like to play with them. For those who continue to read, thank you. Your notes always make me smile.**

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"Steven." Her voice was exactly as it had been when he was a child, and she smelled like his childhood. He continued to stand there and process this ghost before him, but he had to remind himself that she wasn't a ghost. He could feel her arms holding him. In that moment, he caved to his inner little boy and just relished the feeling and sound of his mother. God, he had missed her.

The embrace ended, and she pulled back, "Would you like some tea?"

He watched her walk around the small cottage, acting as if the last twenty years had never happened. Like she had dropped him off at school that morning and he had just returned, and instead of offering tea, she was offering him chocolate chip cookies. The conflict in him began to rise. How could she act like nothing happened, like she hadn't been gone for the last twenty years and now she was offering him tea?

"Tea, Steven?" she asked again.

"No, thank you." He answered, as if on autopilot. He continued to stand there, lost and watching the woman who had been dead for the last twenty years.

She looked to him, and she took the first tentative step to initiate the conversation she knew would be difficult at best, "I know you must have a lot of questions."

The anger and rage took over his brain and he had so many things he wanted to ask and wanted to know. Why did she do it? How could she do it? How does one just up and leave their family without so much as a goodbye. He thought it best to start at the current situation and go from there. He could hear the anger in his own voice, "Why don't we start with Shelbourne?"

"Shelbourne was the codename the agency gave me." She supplied, as she sat down on the small pillow in her living room. Steve remained standing, he wasn't ready to approach this in a peaceful manner just yet, "All those years we thought you were a school teacher?"

"It was a cover." She efficiently supplied.

Steve was angry about her matter of fact answer, "Were me and Mary just a cover too?"

"Shelbourne was way before you and Mary."

Steve jumped around mentally, approaching this from a straightforward standpoint wasn't giving him the information he wanted. "How did you meet WoFat's father?"

"It was an assignment."

"You were ordered to kill him." Steve stated, waiting to hear her answer.

"It's a little more complicated than that." She responded, trying to keep the defensiveness from her voice.

"We have some time so why don't you uncomplicate it." He demanded, as he perched on the small padded stool across from her.

"Okay," she hesitated, sipped her tea, and began, "like you I served my country, but after I got married, I left the agency because I wanted to be a mother. Unfortunately, I could change my name, but not my past."

"That's why you pretended to be dead." Steve supplied, trying to understand her thinking.

Tears glistened in her eyes, "When I made that choice, I knew my life would never be the same. I knew that I would have to give up the only thing that meant anything to me, my family."

"So why'd you do it Doris? If that even is your real name?"

"It was the name I was born with and the name I went back to the day I met your father." She answered, he could hear the frustration in her voice, "And since when does a son call his mother by her first name?"

"Since you failed to be one, twenty years ago." Spat Steve, the anger rolling off him in waves.

"I didn't see any other option Steve. WoFat was looking for the person who killed his father and he was willing to kill anyone who stood in his way."

"So you faked your own death." He stood, pacing the small living room. She could tell he was trying to contain his anger and work off his frustrations.

"Yeah, I did what I had to do to protect my family." Her voice rising, as she tried to explain her actions.

"Dad sent us away thinking he had to protect us. He spent the next 20 years looking for your killer. That was all for nothing!" Steve practically yelled.

"If I had told him the truth, WoFat would have executed him." She pleaded.

"WoFat executed him anyways!" Steve yelled, no longer able to contain his anger. The hurt and sadness of his father's death caused his chest and throat to tighten, making it harder for him to breath.

The tears streaked down her cheeks, "You and Mary, god knows you deserve better. I just didn't know what else to do. Never once did I not spend a day thinking about you."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" his voice a sudden whisper.

"It's the truth."

"What am I supposed to do with that truth? I forgive you and we move on?" he bellowed.

"I just want you to understand. Try to understand." She pleaded with him.

"Pack a bag, we're going home." He commanded.

"I can't, it's not safe." She stammered.

"WoFat's serving three life sentences in a SuperMax in Colorado. He's never getting out, so you are coming home and explaining everything to Mary and Azucena." His words surprised her.

"Azucena? How do you know about her?" shock printed on her face.

"How do I know about my sister that you abandoned as well, only she had no one to look out for her?" he asked, his voice rising with the question.

Doris quietly responded, "Yes, how do you know about her?"

"WoFat." he hissed.

"How did he find her?" she questioned.

"Pack a bag!" Steve commanded, and when Doris heard the timbre of his voice, she jumped. She quickly stood and hustled to pack a bag.

Steve stood in the dimly lit living room and ran his hands over his face. He couldn't wrap his head around everything. His mother was alive, hiding from the man that had tortured him and Azucena because she had murdered his father. He wasn't going to be able to explain this to Mary and Azucena without sounding like a raging lunatic. The best approach would be to bring Doris home and let each of his sisters deal with her in their own right.

He could only imagine how they were each going to react. Mary, he assumed would possess the same rage and anger he possessed that he wasn't certain she would forgive their mother. Hell, he wasn't certain if there was forgiveness in his future with Doris. At least Mary had him and their father, but Azucena didn't have anyone when Claudia died. How would she handle this?

What he wouldn't give to be able to talk to Danny right now. That would have to wait until they were stateside. He would call Danny to pick them up at the airport. He didn't think it would be appropriate for Azucena to arrive at the airport to pick him up and their ghost of a mother, Shelbourne. In this moment, he was truly thankful Danny had cautioned them to wait before chasing down the Shelbourne answers. He couldn't imagine how he and Azucena would have handled this after their last go-round with WoFat.

Steve called Joe and kept the conversation short, they needed to get two tickets back to the island. The sooner, the better in Steve's opinion. Joe informed him to take the dinghy back to where they had been previously staying and there would be two tickets waiting for them.

Doris appeared in the living room with two packed suitcases, they traveled in complete silence until they reached the hotel him and Joe had checked into. Steve inquired at the front desk and there were two tickets to Oahu leaving in two hours. Steve grabbed a taxi for him and Doris and they arrived at the private airport strip outside town. As Doris boarded the private jet, Steve stood on the steps to the plane and called Danny.

"SuperSEAL, did you find Shelbourne?"

"Long story, but I'm headed home. Can you pick me up at the airport at 1500 hours?"

"No, but I can pick you up at the airport at 3:00."

"Fine Danny, see you then." He smiled at the smartass comment from his partner. He needed that in this moment.

"Did you find Shelbourne?" Questioned Danny.

"I can't talk about this over an unsecure line Danny."

"Fine, I'll wait until 3 and then I expect details."

"You'll get them." Responded Steve and he disconnected. Steve begrudgingly climbed the rest of the stairs to the jet. As much as he had wished for his mother to be back in the last twenty years, he was almost dreading this flight.

Doris had seated herself at the small table and buckled in. Steve knew this was going to be an interrogation and he was conflicted on what to share and what not to share. He knew she was going to ask about him and his sisters. Was it his right to share their lives with her or was that something they needed to decide for themselves? He didn't like being the only one to know about her and he definitely didn't feel comfortable making decisions of what to share on their behalf.

He hadn't even made it to the seat when Doris spoke up, "How did you find Azucena?"

"Why Claudia, are you nervous that I know about her?" asked Steve, and he watched her flinch at the use of her other name. Steve could tell she had been out of the game for a while, as she had become a terrible liar. "I'm not nervous."

"Your body language says otherwise." Countered Steve, as he sat down across from her.

"How I left you and Mary was bad, but what I did to Azucena was much worse." Doris confessed, and Steve could read the shame written on his mother's face. This perplexed him, she was having a human moment, and confessing her sin to him. He couldn't determine if she was doing this for show, as a way to ask for forgiveness or if she truly felt bad for what she had done.

"I know 'Cena's experience of what happened. Let's hear your version." He responded, as he sat back in the chair.

"When I left you guys, the agency asked me to complete one last mission before I went into hiding. I agreed to complete this assignment and I didn't realize I was pregnant until I was five months into the new assignment.

"I considered terminating the pregnancy, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I knew the life I led wasn't the life for a child, so I considered putting her up for adoption. However, when the family I was working for found out I was pregnant, they pressured me to keep her. She was a beautiful baby and she was always so happy." Steve could see the tears welling up in Doris' eyes as she thought back to the baby she had loved and cared for all those years ago. Steve had a sickening feeling he knew where this was going, but he was waiting to see if things were going to be as bad as he suspected.

"However, every time I looked at her, I saw you, Mary, and your father. I handled it pretty well for the first few years, but when she started to develop her own personality, I saw these traits that were a miniature version of your father. And her eyes, they were just as green as John's. I loved her, but I couldn't see her every day, and not think of the family I left behind.

"My assignment was coming to an end, I had enough information to put the head of the Italian Mob of Kansas City behind bars. I knew she had a slumber party coming up. I reached out to the Agency and asked them to find her a good set of foster parents until she could be adopted. The night of her slumber party, I faked my death to go into hiding and from my understanding the Agency gave her to a good family."

Steve was horrified at his mother's actions. She wasn't wrong. What she had done to him and Mary had been terrible, but what she had done to Azucena had been atrocious. He could barely contain his anger, and he couldn't stay seated. He stood up, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm not proud of what I did Steven, but I did what I had to do to give that child the life she deserved. A life free from hiding and pretending to be someone she wasn't."

"Do you hear yourself?" he all but choked out, rage filling his person. "You lied to her for her entire life! For eight years you made her believe she was half Argentinian and half Colombian to keep your cover intact. You told her that her father was killed in the drug war in South America when her father was alive and well in Hawaii. You kept her from her real family who would have loved her and cared for her."

"I did what I had to do to keep her safe." Doris said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Well good job on keeping her safe Doris." Steve raged, "WoFat found her, he tortured the both of us to find out information about Shelbourne. He tortured us two different times and both of those times, she almost died. It's by the grace of God that girl is still alive!"

"Is she okay?" Doris asked, genuine concern on her face.

"You don't get to ask that question. You forfeited that right when you walked out on her eleven years ago."

"Steven, tell me if she is okay."

"She's alive and functioning. She's not like you or me. She wasn't trained to deal with the terrible side effects of war and torture. She's scarred and her trust in humanity is all but gone, so yeah parent of the year award goes to Doris McGarrett, or Claudia Santiago, or Sarah Miller. Take your pick."

Steve could see that she was hurt by his words, but she flinched when he said Sarah Miller. "Yeah Doris, we know about Sarah Miller too. WoFat informed us of her, right before he left Azucena to burn to death in an abandoned building."

"Does he think I'm Shelbourne?" she asked, concern apparent in her eyes.

"That's what you took away from everything I just told you? You're concerned WoFat knows your codename?"

"Steven, he will kill me if he discovers I'm Shelbourne."

"He thinks you're dead. His goal was to torture your children because you abandoned him after his mother died. But don't worry, he doesn't know you're Shelbourne. The only person that knows is Joe and he conveniently neglected to share that information with any of us. Just like he neglected to tell Mary and me about Azucena."

"You guys couldn't know about her. If you did, you would know that I didn't die in that car accident." Explained Doris.

"You know, we could have gone into Witness Protection, then we could have stayed a family. There wouldn't have been all these lies, and our father would possibly still be alive. What a novel concept?" Steve said, sarcasm lacing his voice, as he stood in the aisle of the plane.

"Witness Protection would have made it easier for people to find me." She tried to explain.

"I can't continue this conversation with you." Steve sighed, frustration taking over. He wanted to badly to go back and change the past, so his family could have stayed together. He collapsed onto the sofa and wondered what life would have been like if Doris and his family had entered into the Program. He wouldn't have been in the military, and he would have watched both of his sisters grown up. Mary might not have gone through her wild phase in life and Azucena wouldn't have had to endure Woods and WoFat. If only his mother had made different choices twenty years ago.


	75. Chapter 75: ¿Mamá?

The remainder of the plane ride had been relatively low key. The conversation revolved mostly around Steve's life and what Doris had done in the past twenty years, minus the Azucena saga. There was a two-hour pause when Doris fell asleep.

When the plane touched down, Steve was relieved. He knew things were only going to get more complicated, but at least he wouldn't be alone in this. He could talk with Mary, Azucena, and Danny. He figured once everyone knew, the conflicting emotions running through him would be easier to deal with and understand. He loved his mother, but he truly couldn't understand her actions.

When they descended the stairs to the tarmac, Steve could see Danny standing off in the distance. As they approached each other, Danny gestured towards Doris and asked, "Is this Shelbourne?"

"Yes." Answered Steve.

"Or you could call me mom. Someone should." Doris replied.

"Mom?" questioned Danny, confusion clouding his features.

"My mother." Steve explained. The confusion on Danny's face intensified, but he acted like it was no big deal, "Well, for a woman who died twenty years ago in a car bomb, you're pretty well preserved."

"Thank you." She said, as she shook his hand. Danny looked to Steve, "Seems like a lot happened in twenty years."

"You have no idea." Steve said, as they walked towards Danny's car. Danny could pick up on the anger just beneath the surface of his partner. There was going to be a lot to discuss in the coming days, but Danny understood that now was not the time.

Steve placed Doris' suitcases in Danny's trunk and then pulled out his cellphone before they all got in the car. He figured it was best to figure out what Azucena was doing today, because at some point in time she was coming home to their mother and it was probably going to go south.

Steve tapped on her name and listened as the phone rang. She picked up on the third ring, "Hey, are you back already?"

"Yeah, I just landed. Danny's picking me up. What are you up to?"

"Some last-minute cramming, I have my final in about twenty minutes. Everything go okay?"

"Yeah, just seeing what your day is looking like."

"I should be home after my exam. I don't have to work for the next few days. Thought I would take a few days and just enjoy the last few days of summer before the fall semester starts up."

"Sounds like a good idea."

"Glad you're back."

"Glad to be back, good luck on the exam." And they disconnected the call.

Steve drove to the house and Danny caught him up on the latest case, while Doris sat in the backseat and watched. Then she spoke up, "This is your car Detective Williams?"

"Yes."

"Then why does my son drive?"

"I'm glad you asked, he has major control issues. I can only imagine it stems from a problematic childhood." Danny responded, surprised by his answer, but pretty happy with it. He couldn't believe Steve's mom was alive after all these years. He could only assume she had abandoned her family, and as a father that wasn't something Danny could wrap his head around. In his mind, he was defending his friend, but at the same time, getting in a dig at Doris.

"Do you have kids Detective Williams?"

"Yes, I have a daughter."

"So, you understand a parent's need to do anything they can to protect their children."

"My version of protecting my children means looking after them and making sure they aren't abducted by a psychotic lunatic that tortures and almost kills them, but everyone parents differently."

Doris realized she was with the wrong audience to plead her case. Detective Williams was Steve's partner and she knew that nine times out of ten, he would side with his partner. She sat back in the car and silently looked out the window at the island. It had changed a lot in twenty years. The development of the land was impressive.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

After Danny dropped them off, Doris wandered around the house and the property. The house hadn't changed much in the last twenty years. The furniture had been updated, and there were new pictures hanging on the wall, but nothing drastic. If she closed her eyes, she could mostly still maneuver the house and not bump into anything. It was comforting and almost sad in the same instant.

She meandered out back and took in the flowerbeds and the beach. Those were mostly the same. A raised garden had been added to a little stretch of the backyard, "That's new."

"Yeah, 'Cena and I built it earlier in the summer. She's an incredible gardener." He responded, nonchalantly. He thought back to the day he saw her sketching out the design of the garden.

 _It had been two weeks after returning from Silver Pond and surviving WoFat. She had been standing at the kitchen island with her headphones on, doodling away. He walked into the kitchen and glanced over her shoulder, "What've you got there?"_

" _I'm thinking of making a raised garden in the backyard." She answered, slightly unsure of herself. She knew this was her home and she had never felt uncomfortable, but WoFat had made her more self-conscious and unsure._

" _Really, let's see what you're thinking." he responded, encouraging something that would help her find a sense of peace and balance. He knew she liked the outdoors and he knew Jack had been a big gardener, this would be good for her. It would give her a connection to her past, and he figured cultivating something from nothing would help rebuild her confidence._

 _She shifted the drawing between the two of them and walked him through her thinking of each quadrant of the garden. He could tell she had put quite a bit of thought into this idea and he wanted to encourage it. Before the week was over, they had managed to purchase the supplies for the garden and the following week, they worked together to plant everything she had outlined. He could see his sister starting to find her stride and confidence._

 _As the garden flourished, so did she. As much as he wanted her to go and speak with someone, he realized the garden had become a form of therapy for her. On her really bad nights, where she woke up screaming from the nightmares, he would find her in the garden the next morning, working with each plant and weeding the entire garden plot. It had become her sanctuary._

Steve pulled himself from his memory and watched as his mother sat on the beach chairs watching the waves roll in. He went inside and decided he should start figuring out what to do for dinner. As Azucena hadn't expected him back this early, he knew she didn't have anything planned. He looked through the freezer and pulled out some hamburger and let it thaw.

As he dug through the fridge to find something to pair with hamburgers, his phone buzzed. It was a text from Catherine, _Hope things are going well. Was thinking about popping by for a few days visit within the next week or two. Are certain days better than others?_

He wanted nothing more than to see her and spend quality time with her. Yet, how did he explain to her that his mother was alive and staying at his place. He wasn't certain how long Doris would be staying with them and this wasn't really something he could discuss over an unsecure line. Catherine would figure out Doris was Shelbourne, but this was probably a conversation to have in person.

As he prepared to text back, the back door opened, and Doris entered the house, "It's still as gorgeous as it was the last time I saw it."

"Yeah, it's a pretty amazing view." He responded, as he slid his phone back into his pocket. He would text Catherine back later. He pulled open the fridge and pulled out the broccoli he knew Azucena had purchased for lunches, when he heard her key in the front door. She had arrived home earlier than he had anticipated, he set the broccoli on the counter and headed towards the living room. He made it to the living room entrance when she entered the house.

"Welcome back, have a good trip?" she asked, a genuine smile spread across her face.

"Yeah, it was interesting." He answered, as he walked into the living room.

"Interesting how?" she asked, as she slid off her backpack and placed it on the ground next to the sidebar. After she placed her keys on the sidebar, she looked up at Steve, but she saw a female figure standing behind him in the kitchen doorway.

Steve recognized the moment she saw Doris. Her eyes focused on the woman behind him and then she tilted her head, as if she was turning the woman's face over in her mind. His heart hammered in his chest, he wasn't certain if this was going to be a firework's show or a happy family reunion. He watched as she wrinkled her brow and she softly asked, ¿Mamá?

"¡Sí, sí mi niña!" Doris explained, as she rushed towards the young woman, holding her arms open for a hug.

Azucena was surprised by the sight in front of her, but she knew immediately this wasn't right. As Claudia approached her, she held her hand out in front of her, "¡No, no me tocques!"

 _Don't touch me!_ Steve's Spanish wasn't great, but he understood that sentence. Although, Azucena's body language also screamed this as she held her hand out in front of her. He wasn't surprised by his sister's reaction. She wasn't one for people touching her unnecessarily and he realized immediately that this wasn't going to be a happy family reunion.

Azucena continued to stare at the face of the woman who raised her until she was eight and then died in a horrific house fire. As she turned things over in her brain, her first reaction came out in a soft, hurt voice, "¡Mentirosa!"

 _Liar!_ Steve understood that word and he wasn't surprised that was Azucena's reaction. She didn't abide being lied to and faking one's death was the ultimate lie. Their conversation continued in Spanish, but Steve was able to keep up with most of it.

"Azucena –" Claudia started, but stopped when she saw the look of disgust on her daughter's face. Azucena's voice was quiet, but solid, "It all makes complete sense now. I was a surprise, I get that, but now I understand the sadness that was in your eyes every time you looked at me. I was a constant reminder of the family you left behind."

"No, that isn't true." Pleaded Claudia, tears forming in her eyes.

"It isn't?" Azucena challenged Claudia, but she could see the truth in Claudia's eyes.

"You faked your death, so you could leave me behind. You couldn't stand to look at me every day because I was a constant reminder of the family you left." Steve saw the hurt on his sister's face, and was slightly startled when she yelled at Claudia, "Tell me I'm wrong!"

Claudia had no way to defend herself because in her heart she knew Azucena was right and she was ashamed of her actions.

"It's okay, I was a surprise. I'm fine with that. You didn't want me, but don't worry. I had a family that loved me and cared about me. I was a _blessing_ to them and they didn't quit on me." Azucena spoke clearly and slowly, "Whatever Steve and Mary decide to do regarding you is their choice. But let's get this straight right here and right now, I don't _need_ you in my life and I sure as hell don't _want_ you in my life! Understand, Claudia?"

Claudia fought the tears that slid down her cheeks, "¡Mi niña!"

Steve watched as his sister grabbed her bag and keys, turned on her heel, and all but ran from the house. She jumped on her bike, backpack strapped to her back, and rode off down the street. Doris ran to the doorway, sobs racking her body, but Steve couldn't feel sorry for her. You reap what you sow, and she had to realize her youngest wasn't stupid. She had to know Azucena would figure it out.

He knew where she was headed. She would dance until she was exhausted. If she came home, it would be late, after everyone had gone to sleep for the night.

"We have to go after her."

"Doris, she's not going to forgive you anytime soon. What you did to Mary and me was bad, but at least we had Dad. DCF dropped her off on a couple's doorstep and left her there. She was a scared little kid with only a plastic grocery sack of clothes. If she ever forgives you, I'll be surprised."

Doris stood in the doorway and watched the figure of her youngest child disappear down the street.


	76. Chapter 76: What Are Your Thoughts?

Doris helped Steve clean up after dinner. She scrubbed the dishes, while Steve put away the leftovers. As she washed the dishes, she looked out the window and thought about how different their lives could have been, if she hadn't been a CIA agent. She knew their lives would have been drastically different, but she wouldn't have been content with it. Her life had been chasing after criminal masterminds and helping to make sure the world was a safer place, but it required deception and ingenuity.

Steve's voice pulled her from her thoughts, "Doris, you're going to scrub the design off that plate if you keep that up."

She focused on the plate in her hand, it was completely clean. She rinsed it and handed it over to Steve, "Do you think she will ever forgive me?"

"I don't know." He answered, as he thought about if he could ever forgive his mother. He was really struggling with everything, but to basically figure out that your own parent didn't want you because you were a reminder of a better time in their life was a pretty hard pill to swallow. "She's a tough kid and honestly, her foster parents are incredibly important to her. After what she ascertained today, I will be shocked if she does."

"Where do they live?" Doris asked, genuinely curious about the people that raised her daughter. She had an unspoken rule with Joe, she would never ask about her children when he visited. It would make life too hard.

"They're dead." He answered, matter-of-factly.

"What happened to them?" she asked, looking up from the dish she was scrubbing and looking directly at her son.

"They were older when she went to live with them. Her foster mom had a stroke and he passed from a heart attack." Steve explained, as he continued to dry the dishes that were clean.

Doris changed her focus back to the dishes, "Will she come home tonight?"

"If she does, it will be late." He answered, hiding the fact that he was bothered by her being out after dark. They had both overcome a lot after their last run-in with WoFat, but he knew she didn't like to be out after dark by herself. She had confessed that to him when she told him about Woods. Adding WoFat into the mix hadn't helped things. He was forming a mental plan in his head of how long he would give her before he went and picked her up. He knew she was angry and needed to blow off some steam, and he knew she hadn't expected to come home to this.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Doris waited for Steve to pull out of the driveway before she walked through her children's bedrooms. In anyone else's house, she probably never would have snooped, but she wanted to get a feel for her children and their lives.

She walked into the master bedroom first and was surprised by the fact that it really hadn't changed much. Her son was tidy and a minimalist. He didn't leave much out on his dresser, but there was one picture that was tucked in the corner of the mirror, it was him and a dark-haired woman. They were in their swimsuits and Doris could tell the picture was taken on the beach in the back yard.

She studied the picture closely; their smiles were genuine, and the way Steve wrapped his arms around this woman showed his possessiveness of her. Doris assumed this was Steve's girlfriend and she was happy he had found someone to share his life with. She didn't see any feminine touches in the room, so she assumed this woman had her own place. After another cursory glance around the room, she determined that there wasn't much left to learn without going through the closet and drawers and she thought that was too invasive.

She slipped down the hall to the room she ascertained to be Azucena's and was surprised by just how tidy her youngest was. She remembered just how messy she was as a little girl, but things must have changed through the years. Azucena was the opposite of Steve. She had pictures spread out throughout the room. Doris studied each and every picture and saw her daughter age through the years.

She studied the picture of Azucena with the two older people she assumed were her foster parents. They looked like decent people and when she saw the picture of her grown daughter in formal wear with the old man, she could see the happiness on her daughter's face. She had been loved and she was a happy kid. Doris' heart ached that she hadn't been there through the years to watch her children grow, but she was certain they had good lives.

The framed picture of Azucena and a young man sitting on the nightstand next to the bed caught her attention. She could see that the picture was taken near the water, but not on the beach out back. There were cliffs in the background. The picture was what kids called a selfie, with the young man standing behind Azucena and her arm holding the camera out to get both people in the picture. It was a close up of their faces, and the wind was blowing through Azucena's wild hair. Her daughter was stunningly gorgeous in this picture and Doris could see the happiness on each of their faces. She knew they were together, and she wondered what all she had missed out on watching this beautiful young woman grow up.

She knew Steve would eventually return from his errands, so she thought it best to stop snooping before she got caught. She walked down to her room and got ready for bed.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve stood outside the studio door and watched her through the glass. She was incredibly graceful and talented, but he could tell she was tired. He watched as she lost concentration on her pirouette and stumbled. She righted herself and focused in the mirror once more, but she noticed him through the window. She waved him in, as she walked over to the stereo to turn off her iPod.

"Hey." She said as she grabbed her bottle of water and took a swig.

He didn't know where to start, which was surprising because he had never had a problem talking to her in the past, "I got worried, I know how much you don't like to be out after dark."

"Thanks for checking on me." She answered, as she walked over to him, "Is she here?"

"No, I left her at the house. Figured we should probably talk before you came home." Steve answered, as he struggled with what to say and do.

Azucena walked over to the wall and slid down until she was sitting under the barre, "Probably not a bad idea. How did everything happen?"

Steve sat down next to her, "Joe and I traipsed all over Japan, and eventually, we boarded a little dinghy and arrived in this fishing village. He took me to a house, knocked on the door, and apologized before he walked off. She answered the door."

"Like seeing a ghost?" she questioned.

"Exactly like seeing a ghost." He paused, and then spoke from the heart, "I was so angry with her, but then there was another part of me that wanted to just hug her and never let her go because I finally had my mom back. Does that sound crazy?"

"Not at all." She answered, as she looked at him in the mirror. She was hurt, but there was a small part of her that just wanted to be hugged by the woman that she remembered from a long time ago.

Steve continued, he finally had someone he could talk to about everything, "The crazy thing is, we could have been a family if she had gone into Witness Protection, but she said she couldn't do that. It would be too easy for people to find her. She kept saying, I did what I had to do to protect my family. Like she didn't have any other options. But standing on the outside looking in, there are so many things she could have done differently."

Azucena listened to him, she didn't have anything to add because she had been thinking the same thing as she worked out her frustrations for the last three hours. If they had gone into hiding as a family, things would have been different, she would have grown up knowing her real family, but then she wouldn't have had Jack, Clara, and the guys. She wouldn't have had Tommy. She was torn on what she wanted, but she was thankful for what she had. She was also incredibly hurt.

"You're really quiet." Steve observed, looking at her in the mirror.

"I feel the same way you feel, but if she hadn't of left, I never would have had Jack and Clara. I never would have had my friends and all the adventures that we have had. My life would have been a lot different and I'm sure it would have been wonderful, but I can't imagine my life without those people. They have helped shape me into the person I have become. I'm very conflicted right now."

"You and me both." He answered, understanding her thinking. He was just wishing to have his dad back, but he could understand that she would have never known her whole other family if they had stayed together. This was complicated.

"I feel like a traitor." She blurted out, as she ran her hands over the salt and pepper leg warms that extended above her knees, "Jack and Clara were my parents in every sense of the word. They loved me unconditionally, and she couldn't do that. Part of me wants to hug her, but I feel like I would be betraying the people who really loved me. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes, it does." He acknowledged.

"I'm also terribly angry with her." Steve figured this was going to come up in conversation, he hadn't wanted to be the one to bring it up. It was hard enough to imagine how hurt she had to be, but he couldn't imagine asking her to explain her feelings of their mother leaving her behind because she brought up bad memories. "I remember seeing the sadness in her eyes when I was a kid and I always thought that sadness was because she lost my father, but now that I recognize the truth, I am so mad at her. And it hurts, ya know?"

He looked over at her and could see the tears welling in her eyes, but he knew his sister. She didn't let one tear fall, she pushed it down and wouldn't deal with it. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side, "I get it kiddo, and I love ya."

"Love you too." She said, as she relished in the moment of the sibling love being expressed. She truly was blessed to have Steve in her life. She was surprised by Steve's next question, "Do you think in Spanish?"

"What?" she asked, as she pulled away and looked at him.

"When you and mom started talking, it was a bitch to keep up with your conversation. My Spanish is rusty, and you didn't even have to think about what you were saying. It just came out. It made me wonder if you think in Spanish and then translate everything to English."

"It depends, but anymore I mostly think in English. She raised me mostly speaking Spanish, so it's second nature to revert to Spanish with her. Sometimes I dream in Spanish, but not as often as I used to. That was rude of me earlier."

"Which part?" he teased her.

"All of it," she giggled, "but mostly speaking Spanish in front of you. I should have remembered that isn't your language."

Steve was serious for a moment, "Did you mean what you said?"

"About wanting nothing to do with her?"

"Yeah, that part."

"Pretty much, there's probably one percent of me that wants to forgive her and start over, but I'm really angry right now."

"And hurt?"

"And hurt." She conceded, and she reflected on everything, "Maybe I'll get over it, but abandonment is a pretty big thing to get over. But I did mean what I said about you and Mary. If you want to forgive her and have a relationship with her, I will not begrudge you. She's your mother as well, and if you can forgive all the lies and trust her again, my hat's off to you."

"I don't know what to do. This is going to take some time and I haven't even figured out how to tell Mary."

"I'm pretty certain this is an in-person conversation." Observed Azucena.

"Yeah, it definitely is. Want to be there when I tell her?"

"I can be, that isn't a problem."

"I was going to text her she needed to come home. But I know she's going to ask what she's coming home for, and I don't know what to say."

"Family business and it can't be discussed on the phone. It isn't a lie and once she finds out what it is, she'll appreciate the fact that you told her in person." Shared Azucena.

Steve pondered this and thought it was a good idea. Then he shared his personal life, "Catherine texted me earlier that she has some time off and wanted to come out within the next two weeks and asked if some days were better than others. Not really certain what to do now that mom is here."

"You still want to marry Catherine?" Azucena questioned.

"Yeah."

"Well, invite her out. Whether Claudia sticks around in our lives or not, she's going to meet the woman eventually. So just rip the Band-Aid off." Azucena paused, she didn't want to get too deep in her brother's love life, "Although, if I'm Catherine, I might like a night away from your house, so you have some time alone together, I'm just sayin'."

Steve laughed out loud, they had definitely come a long way together as siblings. His sister was comfortable enough to comment on his love life, "Not a bad idea."

"And make it a nice hotel, not some dive that makes it feel like a one-night stand."

"Noted." He smiled at her final comment. "Have you eaten tonight?"

"I had a granola bar earlier, not really hungry."

"Come on, you need to eat something." He said, as he stood up from the studio floor and held out a hand to his youngest sister. He helped her off the floor and took in her look, "New outfit?"

She was in salt and pepper booty shorts and leg warmers with her black leotard, "Yeah, picked them up the other day, thought they were fun. You like them?"

"I like the color, but the shorts are really short." He observed. He knew the other people she danced with wore things that were much more revealing than what she wore, and he knew she had to be comfortable in it, or she wouldn't have worn it.

"Overprotective much?" she teased.

"Possibly." He conceded, as she stuffed her ipod and water bottle in her bag. She slipped off her pointe shoes and slid on her flip flops. They walked out to the truck, put her bike in the back, and stopped to grab her dinner in the late hours of the night.


	77. 77: She Ain't Heavy, She's My Sister

_She knew things weren't right, but she couldn't pull herself from the nightmare. In the beginning, she was with Steve, running through the bunker. As they ran, she kept seeing WoFat's bleeding face flash in her brain, and she could hear him singing her name, "A-zu-ce-na! A-zu-ce-na!"_

 _They approached the end of the corridor and she looked to Steve, he pointed left and she followed his direction. The corridor turned dark, but she could hear Steve's feet slapping the cement right next to her. They continued to run in the dark, and she could see light ahead. She knew that would dump them out above ground and they would be able to escape. "A-zu-ce-na! A-zu-ce-na!"_

 _His voice made her chest tighten, she could feel the fear and panic creep into her body. She heard Steve's voice in the darkness, "You're just fine. He's not here."_

 _As they neared the light, it dumped her out in the old soap factory. She looked to her right, no Steve. She looked to her left, he wasn't there either. She turned around to find him, but there was no corridor. She was in the abandoned factory by herself. She ran for what she thought was the nearest exit, but as she turned the corner, WoFat stepped in front of her._

" _NO, NO, NO!" she screamed as she back pedaled away from him. He leered at her and stalked towards her, like he had all the time in the world. She tripped and fell backward over what she thought was a piece of equipment, but when she looked down, it was the dead body of Short Man. She had landed in a puddle of his blood, and it covered her hands._

 _WoFat continued towards her, and she struggled to stand up in the sticky, wet puddle of blood. Tall and Skinny appeared to her right, and laughed, "His blood is on your hands now."_

 _She heard a gunshot and then, Tall and Skinny collapses next to her. A bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. She screamed out, tears pouring down her face, "NO! NO! NO!"_

Steve continued to speak to her in his softest voice, "'Cena, he isn't here. You are safe. Wake up kiddo! Come on, wake up!"

He finally placed his hand on her shoulder, knowing full well that she would come up swinging if he touched her, but he knew it is the only way to wake her up. This had occurred most nights since they had returned from Kansas, but things had improved. At least they had, until he brought Doris home. He knew the sight of Doris brought up thoughts of WoFat, and that stirred up her dreams.

He wasn't wrong, the moment his hand made contact with her shoulder, she lurched forward and was fighting against him. Sleep still playing at the corner of her brain, her eyes were open, but she was still fighting against the monster of WoFat. Steve grabbed her fist, as it swung towards his face, "'Cena, it's me, Steve! He's not here."

The minute his hand wrapped around her fist, she realized the situation and the fight in her dissolved instantly. He could see the moment she realized where she was, and it was Steve in front of her and not WoFat. She wiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks, "Damn it! I'm so sorry Steve."

His heart shatter a little each time this happened. His sister wasn't like other kids her age, she didn't go to wild keggers and stay out until all hours of the night. When she wasn't working, studying, dancing, or running; she was fighting the monsters in her head. At night, the monsters converged on her and it was a battle. Some nights she was able to contain the monsters and wake herself from the nightmares, but other nights were filled with screams of terror and tears of fear. Tonight, was one of the terrible nights. He pulled her to his chest and let her cry. He could feel the shiver of terror that overtook her body. He rubbed her back until he could feel her body start to relax, "Hey, we're okay. He isn't here."

"They were there, and their blood was on my hands." She choked out in between sobs. He knew who she was talking about when she said 'they.' These men haunted her, just like WoFat. He continued to rub circles on her back, "We talked about this, he killed those men, not you. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Why can't they leave me alone? I just want them to leave me alone." She sobbed. He wanted the same thing for her, but he knew it would take a long time for her subconscious to grasp the fact that she wasn't responsible for their deaths. She knew during the daytime that those men had died because they aligned themselves with a psychopath, but dreams turned everything on its head and it became hard to differentiate between reality and horror.

Steve heard the creaking of the stair and he knew Doris had heard the commotion. He also knew that she would know better than to present herself in her daughter's room. He couldn't worry about Doris at the moment, Azucena needed him.

"I know kiddo, I know." He continued to hold her until she calmed down. "Take some deep breaths, come on."

He held her as she followed his direction, and before long she was breathing normally, and the shivering of her body had ceased. When she was finally in control of all her faculties, she pulled back from him, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"I'm not bothered, you know that." He answered, as he watched her stand up from her bed. She started to pace the room. He could see the concern etched in her face, "Was I loud?"

"No louder than usual." He answered, as he started to realize her concern. He chose his next words carefully, "If Doris heard anything, she's smart enough not to say anything. Everything is okay. You're safe, I'm safe, and he is in the SuperMax on the mainland. You have nothing else to worry about."

"I feel like I'm going crazy." He could see the anxiety creeping back into her person. He stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders. "This is normal, the nightmares are a form of PTSD. You know what you went through was terrible and it's going to take time. I'm betting seeing Claudia made you think of WoFat and that's what brought it all up. You're not backsliding."

He knew that fear, he had that fear after every nightmare he had from missions gone sideways. He also knew her anxiety was building, he mimed deep breaths and she followed along. She knew that they helped, it was like when she placed her hand on her chest and felt the rise and fall of her chest. This had become their routine on bad nights.

She finally found some semblance of balance, and hugged Steve, "I'm better, go to bed."

"You sure?" he questioned, knowing she was doing better, but being supportive, in case she needed something.

"I'm good, I promise." She said, as she pulled away from him.

"Running in the morning?" he asked.

"Planning on it." She responded, as he flipped off the light switch in her room.

"Night kiddo."

"Night Steve." She said, and she listened as he walked down the hall. She heard him pause before his bedroom door.

Steve saw Doris standing on the landing, listening to her two children. He could see the sadness in her eyes, as she realized the impact her action had on them. He didn't say a word but went to his room and fell asleep.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

Azucena slept fitfully for the rest of the night, and was out of bed before Steve. She threw on her running clothes and tiptoed down to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. Claudia was sitting at the island in the kitchen with a mug in her hand. Azucena had to remind herself that Jack and Clara didn't raise her to be rude, she greeted Claudia good morning, "Buenos días."

"Buenos días." Claudia responded, surprised that her daughter actually spoke to her. She decided to press her luck, "How are you?"

"Good, and yourself?" Azcuena responded, reminding herself she needed to be polite. It was the mid-western hospitality in her. Just because she was being cordial didn't mean she forgave Claudia of her past transgressions.

"Fighting the jet lag still." Offered Claudia.

"That bites." Azucena supplied as she finished making her tea. She headed for the backyard, grabbing a large Melmac bowl to take with her. She headed straight for her garden, turned her music on low, and began toiling away at the weeds and vegetables.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Doris stood at the kitchen window and watched the young woman harvest a variety of vegetables, but quite a few tomatoes and cucumbers. As she watched her daughter, she could hear Steve ambling around upstairs and eventually his footfalls on the stairs.

He appeared in the kitchen and started the coffee pot, "Want a cup?"

Doris looked to him and raised her teacup, "No, thank you."

"I texted Mary last night, she flies in tomorrow afternoon." Steve said, as he waited for the coffee to finish brewing.

"Does she know?"

"I can't tell her over an unsecure line. She knows she is coming home regarding family business, but nothing more than that."

"How do you think she will take it?"

"Probably not well." Answered Steve. He was being honest, if Azucena's response was any indication, Mary was probably going to be just as hurt. However, he had thought it over a lot in the last twenty-four hours. He remembered back to the day he told her that Doris had survived the car accident and had Azucena. He remembered her reaction that day and how she was hopeful their mother was still alive. If he were a betting man, she would be hurt, but she would probably cave and forgive their mother.

'Cena on the other hand, he didn't look for her to forgive Doris any time soon. His sister was very guarded, and he knew she wasn't one for letting people get too close. He was close with her, but that was because they had survived some terrible experiences together. She was still forming a relationship with Mary and it had grown stronger over the last ten months, but they weren't as close as Steve and Azucena.

Doris tilted her head in the direction of the backyard and shared an observation, "You take care of her."

"We take care of each other." Steve corrected. As much as he looked out for Azucena and helped her through the tough times, she helped him too. She helped remind him that there were people that cared about him. She reminded him how important ohana was, and not just by blood. She made sure there was food in the house and he was a little embarrassed to admit that he had put on some weight since she had moved in with her home cooking. He loved her as much as he loved Mary and he didn't want Doris to think she was a burden. She was his sister.

"Last night, does that happen often?"

"More than it should." Steve answered, irritated that Doris felt comfortable enough to bring it up. It was her actions that had brought WoFat into their lives.

"You're a good brother." She paused, remorse in her voice. "I wish you could have all grown up together."

"We could have, but apparently being a spy was more important to you than your family."

"That's not fair."

"Life's not fair Doris!" Steve's rage exploded.

"You think I don't know that Steven? You think I don't regret my decision twenty years?"

"Because of your decision twenty years ago, that girl out there can't sleep the night through. She's plagued by nightmares of watching people be shot to death right in front of her eyes! She's terrified of being indoors because she feels trapped all because WoFat tortured her and then left her to die in a burning building! She runs eight miles every day so she can sleep at night because WoFat kidnapped her and beat the crap out of her to get answers about Shelbourne, a word she didn't know!

"I wake up in a cold sweat at least once a month because I remember seeing him beat her to a pulp. I can hear her screams of pain and anguish as he beats her for information on Shelbourne. Or sometimes I wake up because I can hear her screams for help and all I can see is a burning building with no entrance. I can't help her, and I watch the building burn, knowing she's trapped inside.

"If you want to talk about unfair, that's unfair. We were stuck dealing with a psychopath because you wanted to play spy twenty years ago!"

Steve's phone chirped, he picked it up from where he had placed it on the kitchen counter, "McGarrett."

"We've got a case." Came Danny's voice over the line. Azucena walked into the house with the bowl of vegetables.

"Where?"

"I'll pick you up in ten, and then I have to drop Grace at Rachael's on the way to the crime scene."

Azucena could hear Danny's voice through the cell phone, Steve made eye contact with her, and she nodded her head yes.

"If you want, 'Cena can watch Grace today."

"I don't want to interrupt her day off." Answered Danny. Azucena yelled towards the phone, "It's not a problem Danny, I'd be more than happy to spend time with Gracie today."

"Is she sure?" Danny asked.

"I'm positive." The young woman hollered back in the general direction of the phone, as Steve continued to hold it to his ear.

"Pack her swimsuit and be here in ten minutes." Steve said, and the two partners disconnected the call.

Steve looked to his sister, "Thanks."

"It's not a problem." She answered, as she washed the vegetables she had brought in. "We're having eggplant parmesan for dinner. Tell Danny he should just plan on spending the evening here. We have enough for the whole crew, if they are interested."

"I will, raincheck on the run?" he yelled over his shoulder, as he headed towards the stairs. His anger with Doris still bubbling under the surface.

"Of course."

Doris stood in the kitchen watching her adult children interact. As much as Steve's words hurt her, and she was horrified about what they had been through, she was proud of them.


	78. Chapter 78: What Do You Remember?

**To those that continue to read, thank you so much! To those that leave notes and comments, you make my heart smile. I honestly get excited when I see the notes in my inbox. To the guest that left the comment about Tommy, I love the way you think! Not to worry, there will be more Tommy in the future. ~Avy73**

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Steve was lacing up his boots in the living room when the front door opened. Danny ushered Grace into the house, she spotted Steve on the sofa, and launched herself at him, "Uncle Steve!"

"Gracie!" he wrapped his arms around her and enjoyed the love radiating from the little girl.

"Danno says I get to hang out with Auntie Cena today." The little girl squealed in excitement.

"Yeah, and when Danno and I are finished working, maybe we can convince your dad that you guys should stay for dinner." Steve said to the little girl.

"Oh, Danno can we please eat dinner with Uncle Steve and Auntie Cena?" the little girl pleaded, as she whipped around and searched her father's face for permission. Danny squatted down next to his daughter, "As long as it is okay with them, we can stay for dinner."

"Fantastic." Answered Azucena as she descended the stairs in her swimsuit, rash guard, and beach towel. "I was going to make eggplant parmesan; do you think you can help me with that Grace?"

"I've never made it before." The little girl explained, as she ran to her friend and enveloped her in a hug.

Azucena squatted down and returned the hug, "That's okay, we will manage."

Eventually the little girl released her, and she stood upright. Danny walked over to Azucena and hugged her, "Thank you."

"Anytime Danny." Azucena pulled back from Danny, "We'll swim this morning and then I was thinking this afternoon we would watch a movie and find ways to keep busy."

"Sounds good, just remind her that she has to wear sunscreen." Then Danny turned to Grace, "Right Monkey."

"Ugh, it's all goopy and gross." The little girl protested. Steve tried hard to hide his laughing of the little girl's antics, but all eyes ended up on him. At that moment, Doris emerged from her room dressed for the day. Everyone's attention shifted to Doris, "Good to see you again Detective Williams."

"Mrs. McGarrett." Danny said, nodding his head to Doris.

"What are your plans for the day Claudia?" Azucena asked, working on being polite.

"I'm going to meet an old friend for coffee."

"Who?" asked Steve.

"Joe." She answered. Azucena could see the rage boil in Steve at that moment. She understood that Joe and Claudia were friends, but it just seemed like they were a dangerous combination for the family. It looked like Steve was about to open his mouth and say something, when a small voice emerged in the room, "Are you Uncle Steve and Auntie Cena's mom?"

Doris' attention focused on the little girl. She squatted down in the direction of the little girl, "Yes, they are my children. My name is Doris, what's your name?"

"I'm Grace." The little girl smiled at the woman who was the mother of two of her favorite relatives. "They are my favorite people in Hawaii."

"I'm glad to hear you like them. They are pretty amazing." Doris responded to the little girl. "It was nice to meet you. I have to go meet a friend, but I bet I see you later today."

Azucena watched the interaction between Grace and her mother. Grace was a perfect example of innocence and genuine compassion. She saw Claudia as the mother of her favorite people, she didn't know anything about the deception and abandonment of their family. She just assumed that since Steve and Azucena were good people, so was their mother. Faith like a child, Azucena wished she could have that back. She wished she could forgive her mother for all the hurt and anger she was feeling, but she couldn't get past the lies and disappearance. Maybe one day, but not today.

Steve stood up from the sofa, "We gotta go. Have fun today and be safe."

He hugged Grace one last time and did the same thing to Azucena. Danny, Steve and Doris all exited the house at the same time.

"Where are we going?" Steve asked as Danny tossed his keys at him.

"Diamond Head trails." Danny said as he slid into the Camaro. Steve watched his mother walk down the driveway as he pulled his seatbelt on. Danny watched his partner, "Admit it, you want to make sure she's going to meet Joe."

"Yeah, because the last I knew Joe was still in Japan. He might have come back already, but they are bad news together."

"So how did it all happen? Where was she?"

"Joe took me to a small village, knocked on the front door of a tiny cottage, and walked off. Doris opened the door." Steve answered as he maneuvered through traffic.

"That's an interesting approach." Danny observed.

"I'm still trying to tell myself she's real." Steve answered, as he maneuvered through traffic. "Needless to say, I was more than a little upset."

"What was her reasoning for leaving you guys?"

"From our discussion on the plane ride, the Yakuza were closing in on her, so she had to fake her death here. Which matches the story Joe told me when he came clean about 'Cena. When they faked her death, the Agency asked her to complete one more mission, and she did."

"Why didn't she take Azucena with her into hiding after her final mission?" Danny asked, honestly curious.

"Every time she looked at Azucena, she was reminded of the family she left behind. She couldn't continue to see her every day."

"WHAT?" exclaimed Danny, "Are you shitting me?"

"No joke Danny. She couldn't bring herself to continue to raise my sister because she was a constant reminder of the family she left behind; so she faked her death again."

Danny was seething, he couldn't imagine doing something like that to Grace, no matter how many bad memories were involved. He loved Grace with every fiber of his being and would do anything to keep her in his life. Hell, he moved across a continent and ocean to be with his daughter. "You haven't told Azucena, have you?"

"I didn't have to, she figured it out on her own. The minute she saw Doris, she connected the dots."

"Fireworks?"

"Dynamite."

"How bad?"

"It was all in Spanish, and it was pretty angry, but I think the phrase was 'I don't need you in my life and I sure as hell don't want you in my life.'"

Danny sucked in the air around him, "Well, I'm gonna be honest, if I'm your sister I probably would have had the same reaction. Do you feel the same way as 'Cena?"

"I'm hurt and relieved at the same time. I won't lie, there was a part of me that was so happy to hug my mother and know that she was back in my life. But there is another part of me that knows she is treacherous. She's faked her death twice; her allegiance is to the Agency and her own safety. We might come in third or fourth on her list of priorities."

Steve was quiet for a moment, "I want to have a relationship with her, but I don't know if I can forgive her. And I know I can't trust her."

"No one says you have to forgive her for what she did to you guys. You can have a relationship and still be hurt." Danny paused, concerned for his friend's wellbeing, "As for trust, I can't imagine trusting someone that faked their death, had another family and disappeared for twenty years."

"I don't disagree at all Danny." Answered Steve, as he pulled through the parking lot that was crawling with police.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

It had been a long day for the Five-O team. They hadn't expected to work on a Saturday, but they had managed to wrap up the case before quitting time. Steve invited everyone back to the house for dinner and downtime, and everyone happily accepted. They were more than happy to unwind on the beach and eat dinner someone else had prepared.

Steve and Danny walked into the house to find Grace, Azucena, and Doris tying the garlic and butter covered dough into knots and placing them on a baking sheet. The eggplant parmesan was cooking away in the oven.

"Looks like you guys are cooking up a storm." Danny exclaimed, while kissing Grace on the cheek.

"Oh Danno, I had so much fun today! 'Cena taught me how to make dough from scratch, and we made a sheet cake for dessert, and now we are making the bread for dinner."

"Goodness, did you ever leave the kitchen?" he exclaimed.

"We swam and watched a movie."

"Sounds like quite the day." He said, looking to Azucena and smiling at her. He could tell something was bothering her, but he couldn't place his finger on it. The young woman responded, "It was quite the day, with lots of fun."

Danny could tell her words were genuine, but her mannerisms were off. Steve read the situation the moment he walked into the kitchen. His sister was fighting the feeling of claustrophobia that had plagued her since WoFat, he could tell she was putting up a good front and trying to keep her calm, but it was peeking through to the people that really knew her. "'Cena, why don't you go get your run in for the day. I'll finish this."

"Are you sure?" she asked, relief washing over her body. Steve could see her shoulders relax slightly.

"Of course." He answered, as he wrapped his arms around Grace and tickled her. She squealed with laughter and Doris chuckled at her son and the little girl's antics.

"When the timer goes off, take out the eggplant and put these in for ten minutes. I shouldn't be long, but don't wait for me." Azucena responded, as she pulled the apron from her body. She focused her attention on the little girl, "Grace, do you think you can keep these two in line while I go for a run?"

"I'll try, Auntie Cena." The little girl giggled.

"Good luck, I'll be back in a little bit."

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Azucena ran upstairs, changed into her running clothes, and was out the door in a matter of moments. As she ran down the driveway, she could feel the tightness of her chest starting to subside and by the end of the street, it was all but gone. She focused on the sound of her feet striking the pavement and the burning in her lungs. This soothed the tension that had overtaken her person and she finally found the peace she needed.

She had loved every moment with Grace and the little girl meant the world to her. Claudia had been a stressor for her. She didn't dare let on to Grace that there was any disharmony in their family. Claudia had taken today as an opportunity to share with Grace stories of Azucena as a little girl. Azucena was torn, she liked to hear stories from when she was young, but she couldn't remember half of the stories Claudia was sharing. She began to question herself if the stories were real and she couldn't remember or if Claudia was making stories up to make her childhood sound wonderful. This frustrated her, and she couldn't wait for Steve and Danny to return home so there were more people present. Claudia wouldn't be so brazen around Steve.

As she ran up the driveway, she slowed her pace to a walk. She looked at the house and knew she had to go inside, but she struggled to bring herself to open the door. She could feel the anxiety begin to creep up her spine and into her shoulders. She placed her hand on her chest and took deep breaths, what was her problem? She lecture herself, " _Pull it together Red._ "

As she opened the door, the house was empty. Dirty dishes were stacked up on the counter and she looked out the kitchen window. Everyone was in their swimsuits and strung out on the beach and ocean. Azucena dished up some eggplant and a few garlic knots. She pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge and wandered out on to the lanai. She sat down at the table and watched everyone while she ate dinner. She loved these people, they had become her family and she was so thankful for them.

She watched Danny walk up from the beach and collapse into a chair at the table. "I know this was your day off, so I really want to say thank you for watching Grace."

"Danny, she's a wonderful little girl and I love her to death. It wasn't a problem at all. I'm more than happy to hang out with her whenever you need."

"Well, I really appreciate it and I know she had a wonderful time with you today."

"I had a great time with her."

"You doin' okay?" asked Danny, he could read that something still wasn't right in her body language.

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Rough day with Doris?" Danny guessed.

"You have no idea." She responded, as she moved food around on her plate. She wasn't really eating, more like picking at various pieces of eggplant and tearing at the roll. Danny could see the relief in her shoulders when he asked about Doris.

"She do something?" he quizzed.

"As a cop, how do you know when people are lying?"

"There are normally tells, they look to the left when they tell you something. They provide unnecessary details to make their story sound believable. Sometimes their mannerisms give them away. Doris lie to you today?"

"No, she told Grace stories of my childhood that I don't remember. I can't tell if these stories are real or if she is just making them up to make it sound like she was mother of the year."

"What's your gut say?"

"I can't tell." Azucena answered, as she placed her fork on her half-eaten plate of food and took a drink of water, "Some part of me screams to stay away from her, but I can't decide if that is the part of me that is hurt and angry or if it's my gut."

"You know how to best take care of yourself, so listen to whatever you are feeling. It's probably your gut." Answered Danny, his concerned parent coming out in him. He had watched Steve's sister pick at her food and now she was second guessing herself. The return of Doris was not going to be a healthy experience for Azucena and he was going to do everything he could to make sure she was safe. His daughter thought the young woman hung the moon and if he was being honest with himself, he had begun to look at Azucena like another sister. He was going to say something to Steve.

Kono and Grace ran up from the beach, "'Auntie Cena, will you come swim with Auntie Kono and me?"

"Yeah, let me go change." Azucena smile and stood up from the table and headed into the house to change.

Kono and Grace ran back down to the beach and jumped on Chin who had just waded into the water. In the process of taking down Chin, they splashed Doris who was calf deep in the water. She laughed at the scene unfolding in front of her.

Danny had watched this from a distance and walked up to his friend who was sitting in one of the chairs on the beach. Danny settled next to Steve and said softly, "You need to keep an eye on your sister."

Steve's focus was torn away from the sight in front of him and cut to Danny, "What's going on?"

"Just pay attention to her eating habits and don't let her doubt herself."

"Something happen today?" Steve questioned, concern etched on his face.

"Nothing significant that I can tell, but something isn't right with her and she barely ate anything." Steve wasn't surprised to hear about the loss of appetite. He had watched her quit eating after WoFat and he knew Doris was going to disrupt the equilibrium they had created since WoFat. "Thanks man."

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

After everyone had consumed dessert, the leftover food put up, and all the dishes handwashed, everyone dispersed to their own homes. Azucena walked out to the beach and listened to the waves roll in, she missed Tommy and she wanted more than anything to share what had happened in the last few days. However, she knew that this was something she couldn't share over the phone.

She pulled out her phone and texted Tommy: _You think you can get a few days leave and come out to the islands?_

She didn't expect a response back, she figured he was busy working. She stared up at the stars, like she had when they were kids. She found the Big Dipper and then Polaris. This provided her a sense of comfort. As she continued to search the sky, she heard the shuffling of feet and immediately she knew it was Steve, "Hey you."

"Hey." He responded, as he fell into the chair next to her. They sat quietly for a few minutes and just enjoyed the sounds of the night.

Steve initiated the conversation, "How was Doris today?"

"Awkward."

"How so?" he asked, as he watched his sister squirm in the chair next to him. She was uncomfortable, but he wasn't certain why.

"What do you remember from when she was alive?"

"I can remember a lot of things. I can remember the family trips and activities, I can remember the holidays and boy scouts." Steve offered up.

"Mary was ten when she disappeared, right? Does she have a lot of memories?" Azucena quizzed him.

"Yeah, when we have talked about things over the years, she remembers stuff I forgot about. Why?"

"Claudia was sharing stories with Grace about when I was younger and I can't remember a single thing she was telling Grace. My memories of Claudia are snippets of things, but I don't have the depth of the memories like she does." She paused, hesitant to say the next thing, "So it makes me wonder, is she telling the truth and I just can't remember it because I was too young or did I push it all down after the fire and lock it away so I wouldn't think about her. Apparently, my childhood with her was amazing, but I don't remember much of it"

Steve took in her words, she was much younger than him when she lost their mother. He could understand why she was questioning everything; Doris wasn't exactly a reliable narrator. He had noticed that she hadn't come out and said that she didn't believe the stories Doris was sharing.

"Do you think what she shared was the truth?"

"I have no idea." She answered honestly, thinking back to her conversation with Danny about trusting her gut. "And the truth of the matter is, I can't figure out if she's telling the truth, if I think she's lying because I'm angry, or if she's flat out lying. I want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I don't trust her. Do I sound crazy or what?"

"You sound perplexed, which in this situation is perfectly normal." He paused and added some humor to his voice, "But this isn't exactly a normal situation."

"Lord isn't that the truth." She exclaimed, and then her phone buzzed. She looked down at the text that came through, it was Tommy. _I can be there in about three days and stay for two nights. Would that work? I would love to stay longer, but things are a little hectic._

Steve looked over at her, "Someone trying to find work coverage?"

"Nah, I texted Tommy to see if he wanted to come out." She debated on how much to tell Steve, but she hadn't kept anything from him in the past. She never relied on Tommy to fix things, she fixed things herself, but his support was always welcome, and she knew she needed some reminders from life back home. "I can feel myself slipping and I need to find my balance. He is a good reminder of my life before it became complicated. And I can't tell him about Claudia on the phone. I need to be able to tell him about this."

Steve was slightly surprised with her honesty, but he was proud of her. She was recognizing that things were beginning to spin out and she was doing something to correct it. He knew last night was the beginning of things regressing, but at least she recognized it. "How bad?"

"After my run, I had to force myself to go into the front door of the house. If I hadn't had Grace all day, I probably wouldn't have fared as well. I would have been outside for most of the day, finding ways to stay busy. She was a blessing today." She quickly changed the subject, "Did you ever respond to Catherine?"

"She's coming the day after tomorrow and staying for three days."

"She's going to get front row tickets to our dysfunctional family, lucky lady." Azucena joked. Steve laughed with her, and inquired about Tommy, "Did he say he could make it out?"

"Yeah, he can leave in about three days, so that will be nice."

"You going to be okay until then?" Steve questioned.

"He doesn't fix me, I fix me." She responded, "But it will be nice to get the weight of Claudia off my chest. Maybe if she isn't such a big weight, WoFat will disappear as well. Not that you aren't a good choice to talk to about this, but I want to talk to him. Please don't be offended."

Steve chuckled, "I get it, I am counting down the hours until Catherine gets here. I need to be able to talk to my best friend about this. I mean, Danny's my best guy friend, but Catherine's my best friend."

"Totally understand." Azucena agreed. The two siblings continued to listen to the waves and the breeze through the trees until Azucena called it a night. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day. She was curious to see how Mary was going to handle everything.


	79. Chapter 79: Are You Surprised?

_She was trapped. Her arms were tied above her head, her shoulder was dislocated, and the smoke was smothering her. It didn't matter how hard she tried to use the bobby pin to unlock the cuffs, her messed up arm wouldn't move. She was trapped and there was no one around to help her. The heat from the flames was increasing and the smoke was getting thicker, she was going to die in this burning building._

Her eyes popped open and she could see the dark ceiling of her bedroom. She took inventory of the room around her; the air was clean and clear, there were no flames anywhere in the room, and her shoulder was perfectly mended. Her hands were shaking, but she placed one on her chest and tried to calm herself. She could feel her heart racing, but she laid there and focus on the rhythm of her rising and falling chest. As hard has she tried to calm herself it was as if the walls were closing in on her and she couldn't handle it.

She threw back her covers, grabbed her pillow, and quietly padded down the hall to the living room. As she passed Steve's room, she wasn't at all surprised to hear his sleep laden voice, "You okay?"

"Yeah, go back to sleep." She answered softly.

When she reached the living room, she tossed her pillow on the sofa and walked into the kitchen. She opened the window above the sink and just listened to the waves lap the shore. Between the sound of the ocean and the night breeze through the window, she found serenity. When the shaking of her hands subsided, and her heartrate remained steady, she walked into the living room and curled up on the sofa with a throw and her pillow. She passed out.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Doris walked into the living room from the guest room she had occupied and was surprised to see her daughter asleep on the sofa. She quietly made her way into the kitchen and started her morning tea. She glanced out the window and saw a towel draped over one of the chairs on the beach. Steve was out for his morning swimming.

She made a pot of coffee, poured a cup, softly opened the back door and wandered down to the beach. She enjoyed the warmth of the sun's rays on her skin and watched as her son effortlessly cut through the water. She remembered teaching him how to swim as a little boy. His fear of putting his face in the water and how it took an entire summer to overcome that fear. She laughed to herself at the thought when compared with the man he was today.

Steve stood up in the shallow water and waded onto the beach. He had sited her walking down to the chairs and felt conflict overwhelm him. He wanted to have her back in his life, but the anger and mistrust ran heavily in his person. "Morning."

"Morning, I was just thinking about when you were little and were so afraid to put your face in the water. We spent a whole summer overcoming that fear."

Steve took in her memory, he didn't remember it. However, he had grown up near water, so he couldn't ever remember a time when he was afraid of it. He was genuinely curious, "How old was I?"

"You were three. You had these little light blue swim trunks that had sharks and crabs on them." He didn't remember those swim trunks, but he bet if he dug through old family photos, there would be proof they existed.

As he finished drying off, he took a drink of the coffee, "Thanks."

She waved away the gratitude, it wasn't hard to make a pot of coffee and she was struggling to find her way with her children. "I didn't mean to interrupt your swim, but your sister was asleep, and I didn't want to accidently wake her."

"You're fine." Steve answered, as he looked out over the water. He suddenly felt awkward.

"What time does Mary's flight get in today?"

"11:30, Azucena and I will pick her up. I don't think it's a good idea to spring you on Mary."

"Probably not, I think her reaction would be similar to Azucena's." Doris voiced, honesty creeping into her words, "And I don't think I could handle the rejection of another child."

Steve found her words irritating. She was upset because Azucena didn't want anything to do with her, but she had been the one to abandon Azucena. Steve was in the process of opening his mouth to say something when Doris beat him to it, "I know what I just said and how self-absorbed it sounds. I left her, but I regret my actions. I was gutted the day I made that decision and I have been angry with myself ever since. But I couldn't bring that little girl into hiding. She deserved more than that and I wasn't strong enough to raise her."

"Well, you made the decision Doris, looks like you are living with it." Answered Steve, as he took another drink of coffee.

"How long is Mary staying in town?"

"I honestly don't know. She just gave me her flight information out here."

There was a natural lull in the conversation and they just enjoyed the scenery and the sounds. It was a beautiful morning and the breeze off the ocean was nice. The silence was interrupted by Doris, "Does she sleep in the living room because of WoFat?"

Steve was conflicted on what to share. He kept it simple, "Yeah."

"Joe shared the police reports with me. I didn't know he had come after Mary too."

Of course Joe had shared all the information he had on them with Doris. God forbid Joe be honest with him, Mary, and Azucena, but he would tell Doris anything and everything. Steve wasn't certain who he was angrier with Joe or Doris.

Steve kept his response simple, "Well, you know everything now."

"I didn't know he had found you all and I didn't think he would, I'm sorry this happened to all of you." She answered, knowing her actions in her previous life had brought this about.

"Sorry doesn't change the fact that it happened, Doris." Steve said, anger overtaking him. He was preparing to say something further when he was interrupted. Azucena's voice carried from the lanai, "Are we running this morning or are you going to bail?"

Steve stood up from the chair, looked at his mother, and walked towards the lanai. He was done trying to help his mother overcome the results of her bad decisions. He took in the site of his sister as he slipped his shoes on, "How far are you going this morning?"

"I was going to do thirteen, but you don't have to go that far with me. It's whatever you are up for." She responded, she picked up the tension in his person.

"I'll go thirteen, but you can't run at full speed." He answered, as they jogged around the side of the house.

"You take all the fun out of things." She teased.

The first two miles were quiet, he knew she wasn't a talker early in the morning. On the other hand, she could tell something was eating away at him. Halfway through the second mile she asked, "What'd she do?"

"Huh?" asked Steve, who was stuck in his head thinking about Joe and how deceptive he had been their entire lives.

"She's made you angry, but I don't know why. If you want to talk about it, I'll listen. If you want to brood over it, I'll support that too." He smirked at her words, and he appreciated her humor.

"Joe gave her the police reports of everything: when Mary got kidnapped, when you and I were taken hostage in North Korea, and everything that happened outside Silver Pond."

"What upsets you the most about this?"

"The fact that Joe will give her any information on us but wouldn't give us a damn crumb of information about her or you."

"You're surprised?" Azucena asked, her inquiry honest.

"You're not?" Steve countered, as they turned the corner along their regular running route.

"No, Joe has lied to us our entire lives. His loyalty is to Claudia, not you or I. So if she asks him to do something, he is going to do it. I just don't understand how she got his loyalty in the first place. Didn't you say he was our dad's friend before he was Claudia's?"

"Yeah, him and dad served together." Supplied Steve.

"So if you and one of your SEAL buddies served together and then you got married, wouldn't it be weird if your SEAL friend acted the way Joe is acting?" Steve turned her words over in his head. Suddenly he slowed his jog to a stop, and looked at his sister, "What are you saying?"

"I don't know what I'm saying, I just think it's a little weird." She responded, as she ran back to where he had stopped on the path.

"Do you think Doris and Joe were together?"

"I don't know." Answered Azucena, her hands flapping around her like Danny when he's flustered, "But I find it really odd that if Dad and Joe were such good buddies that Joe would lie to Dad for all the years he did. What kind of friend knows your wife didn't really die and doesn't tell you. What kind of friend hides the fact that your wife is an ex-spy for the CIA? Unless Joe was Claudia's handler at the CIA, but the timelines don't match up. We don't exactly know Joe's career path, but he can get his hands on our police files, my DCF file, and my CIA file? Who has that kind of pull?"

Steve was surprised by his sister's line of thinking, "You've put a lot of thought into this."

"Not really, I've just been turning things over in my head. Most of this doesn't add up. I don't like things that don't fit into boxes." She answered, she could tell she had knocked loose a bunch of questions in her brother's head.

She patiently waited a few more seconds and then raised the question, "Are we running? Or are we done?"

Steve shook his head and started down the path again, she could tell he was lost in thought. She hadn't meant to bring this up, but she was surprised Steve hadn't questioned it all along. Perhaps it was because he was too close, but from the outside looking in, things didn't add up.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

The two of them stood in the airline terminal and waited for Mary to deplane. They knew she worked the flight out, so no one was surprised when she showed up in her work uniform. Hugs were exchanged, and everyone was happy to see one another.

As they exited the terminal and walked towards the truck, Mary spoke up first. "Steve, there's something I want to tell you."

"You want to go to Kamekona's for lunch?" he offered, guessing this was what Mary was getting ready to say.

"Well, that wasn't exactly what I wanted to say, but I'm not going to turn down a plate lunch of shrimp." Mary answered, as she climbed into the front seat of the pickup truck. Azcuena climbed in the back of the truck and watched her siblings exchange conversation.

"What's on your mind?" Steve questioned, as he pulled out into traffic.

"I want to move back home." Mary blurted out. She suddenly became self-conscious and followed up her statement with information to back her thinking, "There's a few positions open at Hawaiian Airlines so I interviewed with them and I can start in two weeks. But to do that, I would have to move back home and I figured since WoFat is in prison, it's safe for me to be back on the island."

Steve cut her off before she could continue to ramble any further, "That's great! It would be good to have you back on the island."

"I'd have to crash at the house for a few weeks until I could find a place to rent." She said, slightly uncomfortable about crashing at what had now become her brother's place.

"Not a problem Mare."

"You're sure?"

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it." He responded to her. He knew she liked her job and she had wanted to come home for quite some time. Now everything had lined up perfectly for her to come home. If she was going to want to stay home after they broke the news to her was another story.

"Whew. I can't believe how nervous I was to tell you both that." She said, and everyone could hear the relief in her voice. "So, what's this family business I had to come home for?"

Steve looked into the rearview mirror at Azucena and then opened his mouth, "You remember when 'Cena and I came home from Silver Pond last April and Joe said he could take us to meet Shelbourne?"

"Yeah." answered Mary, as she turned around in the truck and faced her two siblings.

"Steve went with Joe to meet Shelbourne." Azucena supplied, as Steve maneuvered through traffic and turned into Kamekona's improvised parking lot.

"Was he some crazy psycho with a knife wound down his face and an earring?" Mary asked, half-seriously.

"Shelbourne's Mom." Steve stated simply, as he put the truck into park.

Mary looked at Steve, "What?"

"Mom's alive." Steve supplied, "Apparently she faked her death when Azucena was 8, it's a long story and we will tell you over lunch, but the fact of the matter is, Mom's alive."

"No, you're pulling my leg."

"It would be a whole lot less complicated if he were." Answered Azucena, who thought back to her conversation earlier in the morning with Steve. She slid over to the door of the truck and opened it.

Eventually everyone disembarked from the truck and walked over to the ordering window.

"Ah, both little sista's today." Observed Kamekona. Mary smiled in return and Steve watched as Azucena pushed down the discomfort those words brought. "What can I get the McGarrett family today?"

Everyone placed their order with Kamekona and then found a table with some shade. Steve retold everything that had happened on his trip with Joe and everything Doris had told him. Mary interrupted him every now and then to ask questions but was mostly a patient audience member. Steve finished by saying, "Doris is at the house, she would love to see you but that is your decision."

"I couldn't believe she faked her death the first time, but to do it again makes no sense whatsoever." Mary exclaimed. "I mean, who leaves their family? But to do it multiple times, I just can't wrap my head around this."

"We're all struggling with her decisions, so don't feel alone." Offered Azucena.

"You don't have to make a decision if you want to see her today, but I don't know how long she's planning on sticking around." Answered Steve.

"No, I want to see her, I want to hear her explain to my face why she felt compelled to leave us." Answered Mary, her feisty attitude coming out, "Does she know what she did to dad? He sent us away because he didn't think we were safe here. Our lives were uprooted the day she made that decision."

"Okay," answered Steve, "after lunch we'll go home, and you can see mom."


	80. Chapter 80: Mom Did What?

Everyone had been pretty quiet on the ride back to the house. As Steve pulled into the driveway, he looked over at Mary, "You sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah." Mary answered, as she nodded her head to match her words. They all piled out of the truck. Steve led the way up the sidewalk with Mary following right behind him, and Azucena bringing up the tail. They had automatically fallen into birth order but didn't recognize it.

The moment they entered the house, Doris jumped up from the sofa with the magazine she was perusing. She took in the site of all three of her grown children and her eyes fell on Mary. She wanted more than anything to run over and wrap her daughter in her arms, but she could read the look on Mary's face that this wasn't going to be an easy reunion. Not that any of them had been easy, but at least with Steve she was able to hug him and feel somewhat connected to her son.

Even though Steve and Azucena had prepared Mary for this moment, it was a bigger shock to her system than she expected. She stood in the living room and just stared at her mother, taking in the site of the woman who had been dead for twenty years. It was like looking at a ghost and it took a moment for the shock to work itself through Mary's system.

Steve stood in the doorway that led to the kitchen, keeping his distance, but overseeing the entire situation. He was prepared to intervene, if necessary. Azucena on the other hand, shrank down on to the first step of the stairs and wrapped her arms around her knees in front of her, this wasn't her scene and she didn't want any of the attention.

"So it's true? You really did fake your death twice." Mary verbalized.

"I had to do it to keep you all safe." Doris answered, "But I'm so sorry. You can't understand how much I have missed each and every one of you."

Steve caught Azucena rolling her eyes at Doris' comment and knowing her situation, he could understand her reaction. He smirked internally at his sister and then focused his attention back on Mary and Doris.

Steve could tell Mary was flustered, he could see she was torn between running up to their mother and hugging her, or embracing the anger in her. The anger won out, but he was curious for how long.

Mary ran her hand over her mouth, like Steve did when he was frustrated, "Do you know how much you hurt Dad? He was devasted when we lost you!"

Steve was surprised that Mary jumped to their father so quickly. He watched Doris' reaction, "I didn't want to leave you all, but it wasn't safe for me to stay. I never meant to hurt you kids or your father. I loved him with all of my heart and I would give anything to get him back."

"He sent us away because he didn't think we were safe. Our family was broken even more because you decided to run off and go God only knows where!" Mary yelled, tears starting to slide down her cheeks. She remembered the heartache of the weekend they lost their mother, "Do you know how scared we were because we lost you? I slept on Steve's floor for three nights because I was too scared to sleep alone. Do you know how hurt and sad we were because you had been killed? Did it even matter to you how gut wrenching it would be for us to bury our mother, or what we thought were the remains of our mother?"

Doris knew she had to answer for her crimes, but she was overwhelmed by the raw honesty coming out of Mary. Steve had been angry and hurt, Azucena had been quick to shut down after she discovered everything, but Mary had inherited the dramatic gene and it was crushing Doris to witness the truth coming from her daughter. She had thought about how her death would affect Steve and Mary, but there was nothing she could do to stop what was necessary.

"I never wanted to hurt any of you, but I had to keep you all safe from my past. I can't say it enough, I had no other choice. I did what I had to do to keep you all safe."

"Keep us safe?" Mary choked on Doris' words, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He had me kidnapped and locked me in the trunk of a car! He was going to have me murdered! That is how you intended to keep us safe?"

"I didn't want any of that to happen!" Doris assured her and looked at each of her children. "He was never supposed to find you. Any of you!"

"Were we ever supposed to find each other?" questioned Mary, her voice quiet through the tears.

"No." Doris answered quickly, knowing this would stir the pot further.

Azucena didn't say anything, she just wrapped her arms tighter around her knees in front of her. She already knew the truth, but Mary was hearing it for the first time.

"So you and Dad had another child and you were never going to tell us or Dad?" questioned Mary, wanting the full details.

"I hadn't planned on having more children. If Azucena had been discovered, it would have blown the fact that I hadn't died. You guys couldn't find out about her." Doris tried to explain, but she knew how terrible this sounded.

Mary glanced behind her to Azucena and then back to Doris, "What kind of mother does that to her children?"

"I wasn't a very good mother when it came to Azucena. I put my needs ahead of hers, but I tried so hard with you and Steve. I wanted so badly to be a mother and you and Steve were my reward."

"Well at least you recognize when you fucked it up!" Mary responded.

"That's not fair!" Doris countered.

"Let's ask Azucena if she thinks her childhood was fair? Was it fair that you brought her into the world under a false identity? Was it fair that you raised her until you wanted to go into hiding? Was it fair that her life was normal until a fucking lunatic found her and kidnapped her and Steve? Does any of that sound fair to you Mom?"

Steve looked over at Azucena, he could tell she was uncomfortable in the direction this was headed. Her face was beginning to match the color of her hair.

Doris collapsed in defeat against her daughter. Mary had always been hard headed, and she knew Mary would continue to drive home all the mistakes she had made in her decisions to protect her children. "I can't change the past, but I can work to make things better now."

"I love you Mom. I really do, but how do we get past everything?" Mary asked, genuinely wanting to have a relationship with her mother. She was hurt and angry, but there was still the little girl in her that wanted to share her life with her mother.

"I don't know, but I'm willing to do anything to have a relationship with each of you." The tears welled in Doris' eyes as she looked at each of her kids. Mary caved against the inner adult in her. The little girl won out and she opened her arms to her mother. They held onto each other for what seemed like eternity.

Steve watched them and then looked over at Azucena. The redness slowly receding from her face, she stood up, and looked at Steve. He knew where she was going, and he didn't stop her. He could tell listening to Mary drive home Doris' bad behavior invoked a lot of pain for his youngest sister. She grabbed her keys from the sidebar and slipped stealthy out the door. She needed to be anywhere but here.

Doris and Mary's sobbing infused hug finally ended and the two collapsed onto the sofa in conversation about their lives. Doris wanted to know all about Mary's life and Mary was more than happy to fill her mother in on everything that had happened. Mary still had the anger that her siblings possessed, but she wanted her mother back more than anything.

Steve left the two of them in the living room and listened to them catch up while he texted Catherine, _You can't get here soon enough!_

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Hours later Mary and Doris had moved out to the beach to continue their conversation. Steve had taken time for himself and collapsed into the recliner and was watching a movie when Azucena walked into the house. He looked up from the movie, "Doing better?"

"Yeah, you?" her face void of any emotion.

"I'm good." He answered. He watched as she collapsed onto the couch, laid her head on one of the throw pillows, and watched the movie with him. His sister didn't watch TV shows, but if there was a movie on television, he knew she would become engrossed in it. Moments like this rarely happened with how busy their lives had become, but they both enjoyed these lapses of down time.

When the movie broke for commercial Steve was the first to speak up, "What should we do for dinner tonight?"

"You up for grilling or you want me to make something? I'm flexible either way." Azucena responded, not moving from her position, but making eye contact with her brother.

"Grilling sounds like a good plan, burgers or chicken?"

"Let's do chicken, I can make sides to go with it."

"Works for me." He responded, her face still lacking any expression. "You doin' okay?"

She was always honest with Steve, but she wasn't ready to talk about her feelings, "I'm not really in the mood to talk about it. Is that okay?"

"Yep, and if or when you want to talk about it, I'm more than happy to listen."

"Thanks." She answered, and they went back to watching the movie that had returned to the television. The two of them let the rest of the afternoon fade away while they checked out from the real world and enjoyed the movie.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Doris and Mary finally returned to the house as Steve and Azucena were beginning to put dinner together. Mary and Doris offered their services and before long dinner was on the table and they sat down as a family.

It was at this moment, the awkwardness began to set over the table. Mary was thrilled to have her mother back, but she could see the tension between her siblings and their mother. Steve tried to keep the conversation light and Azucena spoke up at the appropriate moments, but most of the conversation was carried by Doris and Mary.

Mary bragged on Steve and raved to Doris about Five-0. Doris, showing an interest in her son's job, posed the question, "What's been the most interesting case you have worked on?"

Steve reflected and then shared, "There was a Navy SEAL who was accused of murdering his wife, but before the cops could arrest him, he took a bunch of people hostage on the _USS Missouri_. I got on board and worked with him to negotiate the release of the hostages while my team tried to determine who actually killed his wife."

Doris' attention was focused completely on Steve's words, "Did he kill her?"

"No, his wife was previously married to an incredibly powerful Russian banker and he came to town and murdered her for custody of their daughter. It took a lot of work, but my team pulled it off."

"Sounds like a pretty lively job. Do you like it better than the SEALs?"

"It's different than the SEALs; not better, not worse, just different." Steve offered, as he took another bite of his chicken.

"What about you Azucena?" Doris asked, trying to include all her children in the mealtime conversation. "Mary's working for the airlines, Steve's pretty busy with his job. How do you spend your time?"

"Just school and work." Answered Azucena, hoping the focus would move back to either Steve or Mary.

"'Cena's studying nursing." Offered Mary, trying to be helpful and keep the conversation going.

"What type of nursing?" Doris asked, genuinely curious in her daughter's career path.

"My focus is pediatric oncology."

"That's some pretty heavy stuff. You sure you have it in you?" Doris asked.

The question grated at Azucena. Suddenly Claudia felt like she had some magic insight into what Azucena could or couldn't handle. The irritation with Claudia reached a simmer under Azucena's skin. "No doubt in my mind."

"You know, if you worked in a doctor's office you could be a nurse and you wouldn't have to lose patients." Doris offered.

The moment the statement came out of Doris' mouth Steve knew it would be the end of an awkward family dinner. If Azucena hadn't spoken her mind, he wasn't certain he would have been able to keep his mouth shut.

"I don't recall asking for your opinion." Azucena replied in a polite, albeit clipped tone.

"I wasn't telling you how to live your life," Claudia backpedaled, "I just remember you sobbed for a week when you saw a deer get hit by our car. I know how you are when it comes to losing animals. I can't imagine how you would react to losing a patient that was a child."

"Not that I remember any of what you just said, but that was at least eleven years ago Claudia. I've survived a lot since then, not that you would know. My life and my career choices are mine to make, I don't need you trying to tell me how to live my life." Azucena stood from the table, took her plate to the kitchen, set it on the island, and took off out the front door.

Doris was upset, Mary was surprised, and Steve was angry. If things continued in this manner, Azucena was going to run and dance herself into exhaustion. His anger came out in his words, "You couldn't leave it alone, could you?"

"I wasn't trying to be pushy, I just remember that she doesn't handle death well. How's she going to take care of terminally ill children when she was gutted over a dead deer?"

"She's not eight anymore Doris, she's a grown woman. We aren't the ten and sixteen-year old kids you left behind. We have life experiences that you know nothing about. So the next time you consider giving your advice or input, really ask yourself, 'Do I have any right to say this?'" Steve excused himself from the table and put his dishes in the sink.

He knew he wouldn't be able to catch her. She would be running angry and when she did that it was impossible for him to keep up with her, let alone catch up to her. He walked out the front door and paced the front porch, debating whether to get in his truck and go after her or let her run it out.

The frustration he had with Doris was hard for him to process, but he couldn't imagine the pain that his sister was feeling, knowing she was a surprise that Doris hadn't really planned to keep around. Knowing her mere existence caused sadness in the one person who should love her no matter what. He knew she was hurting, and this wasn't healthy.

He decided to let her run. He knew she had to burn off some of her anger. He sat down on the front porch and waited.


	81. Chapter 81: The Orphan

She could feel the tears streak down her cheeks as she pounded out her frustrations on the pavement. She wasn't exactly in clothes for a long-distance run, but she needed to get away from the house, away from Claudia. She reminded herself over and over, _I was loved. Jack and Clara loved me with every fiber of their being._

There was no doubt in her mind that they loved her, and they wanted her. They had told her multiple times that she truly was a gift from God to them. She felt the exact same way. After losing her only parent, she couldn't have found better people to take her in. They loved her through all the good times and bad times. They truly were her parents in every sense of the word.

Why then was she so hurt by Claudia's actions? After meeting Steve and Mary, she knew she was a surprise. She wasn't planned and that didn't bother her. She just assumed Claudia raised her and they lived their lives as necessary, but the minute she figured everything out, it was as if a hammer had just smashed her heart to bits. She was genuinely hurt to find out that she wasn't wanted.

Then the way Claudia doubted her decisions at dinner were just too much for her to take. Perhaps she had been on the defense, but how did Claudia feel comfortable enough to tell her how to live her life after being gone for eleven years? Who was Claudia to tell her what was a good idea, when Claudia took a job the cost her the family she loved? Who was Claudia to tell her how to live her life when Claudia didn't want her in the first place?

Azucena had noticed it the day before, she began to second guess everything the minute Claudia was present. If she didn't see her or couldn't hear her, she was confident and sure of herself. The moment Claudia was introduced into the mix, she began to waiver and doubt herself. This wasn't healthy, and it wasn't something she wanted to continue to endure. She had to find a way to get over her self-doubt and remind herself that there were people in this world that loved her. There were two people that were thrilled to raise her and love her as any parent should love their children.

She knew she needed a break from Claudia. She needed to find her balance and distancing herself from Claudia for a little while would be the best approach. As she neared the park that she occasionally ran to, she found a bench in the shade and sat down. She knew with Tommy coming in the next two days, this would be the perfect excuse to get away and have a little time with Tommy.

She pulled out her phone and clicked on the Expedia app. Setting the parameters for the two nights Tommy would be in town, she hit enter. There were a variety of hotels that popped up and most of the higher end ones were relatively affordable. She flicked through the options and found one that looked decent with a continental breakfast. It had three swimming pools, access to Waikiki beach, and plenty of activities on-site. Thinking of this as a romantic getaway and a much-needed break from the drama at the house, she booked the hotel room for the two nights Tommy would be in town.

She took a deep breath and just let it out. She could get through the next day and a half. Catherine would arrive tomorrow and that would take some of Claudia's focus from Azucena. As much as she wanted to love her mother, she wasn't certain she could anymore. How does one get over finding out that they were a bad reminder of a past life and it was easier to walk away from them than interact with them every day? She felt bad, but she couldn't do what Mary had done. Maybe if she was in Mary's shoes, it would be different.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve had taken a walk around the block to kill some time and had decided it would be a good move to talk with Danny. Danny was a good sounding board and he could keep a level head in this situation. Steve knew his personal emotions were clouding his judgement in this situation.

"Super SEAL, tell me we don't have a case." Danny spoke, as he answered the phone.

"No case Danno, just need a sounding board."

"Doris?"

"How'd you know?"

"I'm a detective, I detect things." he retorted, but then added "The woman is a whirlwind of drama, I can only imagine things didn't go well with Mary coming back."

"Surprisingly, Mary handled it better than me or 'Cena. She was mad, but after yelling at Doris for a few moments, she welcomed her back with open arms." Steve explained.

"I did not see that one coming." Danny admitted.

"Me either, I figured she would be angrier longer."

"So what's the problem?"

"Doris and 'Cena are like oil and water. I don't see things getting better and I'm beginning to wonder if bringing Doris back was a good idea."

"First of all, you needed to bring her back. You couldn't carry that secret yourself and your sisters deserved to know about Doris." Explained Danny. "Secondly, if I'm Azucena, I'm not certain I could ever forgive Doris. It's one thing to know she bailed on you all because she was leaving to protect you all, but it's a completely different thing to give up your child because they are a painful reminder of your past. That's just selfish behavior."

"I don't disagree. Most things about Doris scream selfish."

"What happened?"

"An uncomfortable family dinner, that basically ended with Doris trying to redirect 'Cena's career path."

"How'd she take it?"

"She bolted."

"Angry or uncertain?" Quizzed Danny.

"Definitely angry."

"I don't think Doris is healthy for any of you, but she's your mom. However, your sister is struggling with her presence and I think she's struggling more than you or I know. When we talked yesterday, she was doubting herself and I don't think that is a good thing. Factor in overcoming WoFat, and I think Doris is just going to eat away at her self-confidence."

"So what do I do, keep them in separate corners of the house?" Steve joked.

"For now, but honestly 'Cena needs a safe space. After everything that kid has been through, she deserves a space that she can feel safe and comfortable. Doris isn't either of those things for her. Doris either needs to go back to where she came from or she needs to find another place to live. Living with the two of you isn't a healthy option for either of you, but definitely not for 'Cena."

"I was thinking that, but I needed to know it wasn't just my anger at my mother speaking." Answered Steve honestly.

"Trust your gut. It hasn't steered you wrong yet."

"Thanks Danno."

"No problem, see you tomorrow." And with that, Danny disconnected.

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Steve ambled up the drive and found Mary sitting on the front porch. "She back yet?"

Steve shook his head no and sat down on the steps next to Mary, "She was pretty steamed."

"Yeah, and she has every right to be." Answered Mary, "Mom feels pretty bad about it."

"Well, Doris needs to learn to keep her thoughts to herself sometimes."

"I don't disagree, but 'Cena could be a little more open minded too."

"Mary," Steve said, trying to reign in his emotion, "Doris faked her death with 'Cena because she couldn't look at her every day without remembering us. So basically, Doris didn't want her. I think she gets to be angry and hurt. Maybe even more so than you or me."

"I don't disagree, but we can't move forward as a family unless we get beyond the past." Mary explained.

"I don't know if this is something 'Cena's ever going to get over. You have to understand that 'Cena sees accepting Doris and forgiving her for what she did as a betrayal to the people who raised her."

"That makes no sense." Mary quickly answered.

"Think about it, Mare. We had Dad, Aunt Deb, and Uncle Joe when Mom passed away. 'Cena had nobody. These strangers took an orphan into their home and raised her as if she were their own. They loved her unconditionally and were there for her through some pretty tough times in her life. So when Doris reappears, she can't forgive her. To do so would be a slap in the face to the people who were there for her for the last eleven years of her life. Those people were her parents in every sense of the word."

Mary turned over the one word that really stuck out in Steve's explanation, _orphan._ She had never thought of Azucena as an orphan. It conjured all sorts of unpleasant images and that's when it really hit her. For the majority of Azucena's life, she had been considered an orphan. "I never thought of her as an orphan."

"Well, I don't think she views herself that way. I mean, when you listen to her talk about Jack and Clara, she's happy. She loved them. However, when Doris faked her death, she was a scared eight-year-old kid with no one. I don't think overcoming that loss and fear is easy, but Jack and Clara helped her. I think fear and death have been a constant in 'Cena's life."

"Then WoFat happened." Mary supplied.

"Yeah, then WoFat happened." Steve said, not mentioning the incident and all the fear and terror that accompanied that.

"Do you think she'll ever get over WoFat?"

"No, it's an irrational fear, but it is firmly ingrained in her mental faculties. He's in a SuperMax, but to her she will constantly look over her shoulder and wonder if he's coming after her? She will forever wake up in the middle of the night and fear he is hiding under her bed. What he did to her has impacted her more than we can ever imagine. Not to demean what you experienced."

"No, I would never wish what I went through on my worst enemy; so I can't begin to imagine how terrified she was and how much it haunts her."

At that moment, Steve could see Azucena walking up the end of the long drive way. She wasn't running. He hoped she was better, but he knew Danny was right. This whole situation wasn't healthy for her.

As she made it up the sidewalk, Steve and Mary looked up at her. Azucena was the first to speak up, "Sorry for ruining dinner."

"No need to apologize." Answered Steve, "And you didn't ruin it."

"It was pretty awkward to begin with." Cracked Mary, a sincere smile on her face.

There was an open piece of porch to Steve's right, Azucena squeezed in. The siblings sat in silence for a few minutes, then Azucena spoke up. "Tommy's going to be in town for a few days. So, I booked a room at a hotel on the beach and I'm going to take that time to get away from here to recalibrate."

Mary was shocked by her sister's actions, but Steve wasn't at all. She was doing something to make her world healthier and he understood, "Sounds like a good plan. You guys take time for you. However, if you guys want to stop by that works too."

"Thanks." She answered, as Steve placed his arm across her back and pulled her into his side. He had become fiercely protective of his youngest sister and he didn't ever want her to doubt her place in his life. She was important to him and he would support her no matter what.


	82. Chapter 82: Dessert

Steve observed the beauty of his dark-haired girlfriend as she walked down the exit ramp of the airline terminal. She was dressed in her civilian clothes and as much as he loved seeing her in uniform, her civilian clothes showed more skin and he relished the sight of her. The royal blue sundress really pulled his attention to her physical attributes.

"Hey Sailor." Came her usual greeting, in her soft, velvety voice.

"Cath, oh it's so good to see you." He said, pulling her into his arms and just holding her to his body. She centered him and just feeling her in his arms was already settling the tension in his body. Eventually he pulled back from hugging her and trapped her mouth in a long, passionate kiss. He was so happy to have her back in his immediate world.

"It's good to see you too Steve." She said, after she pulled back from the kiss and then wrapped her arms around him again, inhaling his scent. She held him for a moment enjoying his smell. She had missed him.

"Let's grab your luggage." he said, as he slowly pulled back and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He was ready to forget about the outside world and just enjoy some quality time with the woman in his life.

"You going to tell me about Shelbourne, now that I'm on the island?" she asked, bringing up the topic he was hoping to save for later. He wasn't surprised at all by her question. He had told her before he left what he was going to do, and when he returned, she understood the need to have the conversation in person. As part of Naval Intel, she was well aware of protocol and secure lines.

"Yes, yes I will share everything with you about Shelbourne." He answered, as they stood waiting for her suitcase to appear on the luggage carousel. "But let's talk about it in the truck."

"Works for me." She answered, as they continued to wait. She loved the feeling of his hand resting on the small of her back. She missed his physical presence. The phone conversations and text messages were nice, but his physical touch made her heart happy.

They claimed her bag and walked out to the truck, holding each other's hand as they walked. He placed her bag in the backseat and they climbed in the cab. After Steve pulled into traffic, Catherine spoke up, "Where are we going? Your house is in the other direction."

"We are checking into a hotel for the evening. I promise to take you to dinner, but I would like some quality time with my girlfriend this evening."

Catherine processed this statement, "'Cena have the evening off?"

"Actually yes, but this was her idea, as our house is packed full of people at the moment." Steve answered, "Shelbourne, Mary, and Azucena are at the house."

"You brought Shelbourne home with you?" questioned Catherine, curiosity in her words.

"Yeah," he nodded his head, keeping his pitch even, "Shelbourne is my mother."

It took Catherine a moment to catch up, the shock in her voice was hard to miss. "Doris is alive?"

"Yeah." He paused, and then explained as he maneuvered through traffic. "I couldn't leave her there and keep this secret to myself. So I brought her back with me and made her tell my sisters everything."

"Well if you didn't have mommy issues before, you definitely are going to now." She cracked, laughing a little while she teased him.

"Oh, you're hilarious Lieutenant." He retorted, knowing she was messing with him, he squeezed her knee in affection.

"Seriously, your mother's alive and is Shelbourne?"

Steve nodded his head in confirmation of her statement and waited for her to unload like Danny. She connected the dots much quicker than Danny, "Shelbourne was part of her CIA cover?"

"Yes." He confirmed.

"So she's the one who killed WoFat's father?"

"Affirmative."

"Is that why she went into hiding?"

"Apparently the Yakuza were closing in on her, so she had to disappear." Explained Steve, "She didn't know she was pregnant at the time and did another job for the Agency when she faked her death the first time."

"Does WoFat know she is Shelbourne?"

"No, her cover is still intact."

"So, him coming after you and Azucena was just revenge for your mother abandoning him when he was a kid? It wasn't him coming after you guys to seek payback for his father's death?"

"It was revenge for the abandonment." Confirmed Steve.

"How are you handling this?"

"I'm so mad at her Catherine." He exclaimed, "Her selfish behavior cost Mary and me our childhood with both our parents. Because of her decisions we were shipped off to live with relatives and boarding school. My dad gave up his whole life in search of her killer, and in the end, the person she was hiding from had him murdered. If she had just gone into Witness Protection, our lives would have been so different."

"What was her reasoning for avoiding Witness Protection?"

"She said we wouldn't have been safe in the Program. Her enemies would have found her."

"Do you believe her?"

"Not for one second." He answered, anger still thick in his voice. "She would have had to give up being a spy and that's not something she was willing to do. How sad is it that she picked her job over her family?"

"I'm so sorry Steve." She wasn't certain what else to say. "How are your sisters handling everything?"

"Mary was angry at first, but she's willing to put everything in the past and wants to move forward as a family. She yelled and screamed at Doris and once she got it out of her system, she welcomed her with open arms. 'Cena on the other hand, she doesn't want anything to do with Doris. However, things with her are a little more complicated."

"What's the problem?"

"Apparently Doris hadn't planned on keeping 'Cena when she found out she was pregnant. However, she couldn't bring herself to terminate the pregnancy, so she had her and was going to give her up for adoption. The family Doris was working for at the time pressured her to keep my sister. She kept 'Cena but it eventually became an issue for Doris. She couldn't look at 'Cena without thinking of the family she left behind. So, when it became too much to see 'Cena every day; she faked her death."

"Oh no, did Doris tell 'Cena this?"

"She didn't have to." Explained Steve, "The minute she saw our mother, 'Cena connected all the dots. She knew immediately that Doris didn't want her, and she was a painful reminder of Doris' previous life."

Steve saw the pained look on his girlfriend's face. He loved so many things about Catherine, but her compassion was one of the most beautiful traits she possessed. Catherine's voice was soft, "She was hurt?"

"Gutted and torn. Mary can't understand why 'Cena can't forgive Doris. I know she feels like if she forgives Doris' it's like a slap in the face to Jack and Clara. They loved her, and Doris bailed on her."

"Geez, that's a lot for everyone to take in." observed Catherine, as Steve parked the truck in the parking lot of Hilton Hawaiian Villages.

"Yeah, needless to say, we're staying here tonight. Maybe even tomorrow night. I haven't decided yet and I didn't want to overwhelm you with all my family drama."

"I love your family." She paused, "Well, at least your sisters. I don't know your mother."

"Oh not to worry, if we show up at the house, she's going to grill you. She's a spy, she thinks she has to know everything."

He climbed out of the truck and grabbed her bag and his go bag from the backseat. They walked into the lobby and checked in.

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The moment the door to the hotel room closed, they were lip locked and began undoing buttons and zippers on each other's clothes. Steve's hands were quicker, but in all fairness, Catherine had on a sundress. The zipper on her dress was down in two seconds and sliding off her shoulders mere moments afterwards. Catherine worked to peel off his outer shirt and then tugged his t-shirt over his head. His cargo pants took longer to peel off, but it wasn't too long before they were in their underwear, maneuvering their way to the bed.

The room was nice, but neither was interested in the hotel balcony view, as they were completely engrossed in the other person. They spent the next hour finding creative ways to burn off their pent-up sexual desires since Catherine's last visit.

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Steve ran his fingers through Catherine's long, dark hair and enjoyed the feeling of her resting on his chest. He could feel as her fingers made gentle circles across his torso in various patterns. He wanted her on the island full time, and he knew tonight, he would ask her. It was just a matter of timing.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"I could eat, but to be honest, I'm enjoying this way more than food."

"Want to order room service? Or I can take you to Morimotos?"

"Do we have reservations?"

"No, but I could get us reservations." Steve answered, they had worked a case that had involved fish served at the restaurant recently and he had become good friends with the owner. The owner had informed him there was always a table available to him.

She pushed herself up on her elbows and let her fingers slowly work their way up his chest, pinching and teasing as she worked her way higher. When she finally reached his face, she placed her hands on each side of his face and kissed him. She pressed her forehead to his, "How about we go get a little more creative in the shower and then we order room service? I'm not certain I'm willing to share you with the outside world tonight."

The look of sheer excitement on Steve's face made her laugh out loud.

"Yes Ma'am." He responded and wrapped his arms around her body as he pulled back the sheets. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his naked torso, as they made their way into the large stall shower. Mirrors placed all over the bathroom, allowed them to see their romantic escapades from all angles.

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Catherine had finished sliding into pajama shorts and a sheer cami when there was a knock at the door. Steve had on gym shorts and a t-shirt, so he answered the door, as Catherine disappeared into the bathroom.

The waiter pushed in a small cart of food and placed it on the coffee table in the sitting area of the hotel room. Steve lifted the lid on the dessert of chocolate covered strawberries, and placed the elegant, yet simple diamond ring on the plate. He replaced the lid. The waiter uncorked the bottle of wine, Steve tipped the man, and the gentleman quickly vacated the room with his cart in tow.

The moment Catherine heard the door close, she quickly appeared in the room, "I'm starving."

"I think we both worked up quite an appetite." Steve teased her, as he removed the lid from the two main dishes. The two of them sat at the coffee table and caught up on life outside of Shelbourne and enjoyed a meal together.

Catherine shared about life on the aircraft carrier. As Steve listened to her talk about her current life, he realized part of him missed life in the Navy. It was structured and straight forward, nothing like his current life. However, he wouldn't trade his current life for anything. He loved his job, his partner had become his best friend, and he was sharing his life with the sister he never knew. His life was good, and it was only going to get better in the next hour.

Catherine asked about his latest cases and he shared the more interesting ones with her.

When they had finished their meals, Catherine leaned back into the chair, "I don't think I could eat another bite."

"I ordered dessert." He mentioned, as he nodded his head towards the other covered dish. He knew his girlfriend; she had an incredible sweet tooth. He had witnessed more than once her ability to make room for dessert and he wasn't certain where the food went.

"Dessert, oh my. What did you order?" her curiosity overtaking her full stomach.

Steve pulled the lid off the chocolate covered strawberries and watched her reaction. He wasn't disappointed, she didn't see the ring immediately. At first, she was just excited for the chocolate covered berries; but the moment her eyes landed on it, they misted over.

He removed the ring from the plate, got down on one knee, took her hand in his and said, "Catherine, I love you with all my heart. You make all my days dramatically better and I can't imagine my life without you in it. Would you do me the honor of spending the rest of our lives together?"

She couldn't breathe, and he could see she was happy and surprised all at once. She nodded her head and managed to squeak out a small, "Yes, yes Steve!"

Steve slowly slid the ring onto her finger and was surprised when she pulled him to her face and kissed him with every ounce of energy in her body. The kissing continued and before too long, their clothes came off and the two of them found the energy for a third round of love making, followed by a dessert of chocolate covered strawberries.


	83. Chapter 83: Loose Morals

**To those that continue to read, thank you so much! To those of you that leave notes, oh they just make my day! I never imagined this story would be this long and I still have a lot of ideas, so stay tuned! ~Avy73**

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Azucena woke up with her head in the clouds. Tommy was going to arrive in Oahu today and the next few days would be all about them. No Steve or Mary, no Frog, and definitely, no Claudia. She was looking forward to relaxing in paradise with her best friend. She was also looking forward to kissing her best friend and falling asleep wrapped in his arms. With WoFat in prison, nothing was going to spoil these next few days.

She rolled out of bed, threw on her running clothes, and without anything to interrupt her, she was out of the house. She felt light and her run although long, was easy. She couldn't wait for the afternoon to arrive.

As she returned to the house, she found Mary standing in the kitchen in her bikini with a cup of coffee. Claudia was seated at the island in a swimsuit coverup.

"Good Morning." Azucena said, as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Morning." Claudia and Mary responded in unison. Azucena didn't linger in the kitchen, she really didn't want to deal with Claudia. She ran upstairs and jumped into the shower. She made it a point to shave her legs, not that anything major was going to happen, but she wanted everything to be perfect.

She dressed in a mid-length green and floral sundress, wedge sandals, and her hair flowing freely. Then she packed her backpack with items for the weekend. She didn't want to carry a weekend bag on the bus to the hotel, so she figured she could fit her essentials in her backpack. She was on cloud nine

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"Your sister seems to be in a good mood this morning." Observed Doris, as Azucena climbed the stairs to get cleaned up.

"Yeah, her boyfriend flies in today." Answered Mary, thinking nothing of it.

"Really? What's he like?"

"I don't know, I've never met him. I know they were friends growing up, but I don't know much more."

"Is Steve bringing Catherine by the house? I'll get to meet Steve and Azucena's significant others."

"I think they are planning on staying at the house tonight, but you won't meet Tommy. 'Cena booked a hotel room for the two of them. I doubt she brings him by the house."

"What?" asked a shocked Doris. Mary looked at her mother, trying to decipher what Doris was shocked about. When Mary didn't answer, Doris raised the question, "Azucena and _Tommy_ are getting a hotel room? Does your brother know about this?"

"Of course, those two are so tied in with each other it's almost freaky."

"And he was okay with his youngest sister staying in a hotel with her boyfriend for a few nights?" quizzed Doris, clearly not okay with the information she had uncovered.

"Yeah, it's not like it's a big deal." Said Mary, as she realized it was a big deal to Doris. Mary moved over to the sink and began to rinse her coffee cup. She realized how big of a blunder this had become.

"Well, I guess it isn't a surprise that he would be okay with it. I mean, him and his girlfriend booked a room for the night, undoubtedly so they could have some privacy." Supplied Doris, "I can only assume that's the same reason she booked a hotel room."

"I don't think it's the same thing." Offered Mary, she knew Azucena needed a break from Doris. "I think things have been a little overwhelming for 'Cena, so she took Tommy's visit to relax away from the house."

"She's nineteen, I can only assume he's the same age as her. Kids that age have one thing on their minds, sex."

"Mom, I don't think that's it, but I would suggest letting it go. Look what happened the other night at dinner. You probably need to forget about it. Focus on meeting Catherine. I think you'll like her." Offered Mary, praying she managed to redirect Doris' focus. She knew this was going to end poorly if she wasn't successful. "Let's go sit out on the beach."

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It was eleven thirty when Azucena made her way back into the kitchen to make a quick lunch. She dropped her backpack next to the sidebar in the living room and made a sandwich for herself. As she peeled an orange, she hummed to herself. The joy in her person was overflowing.

She sat down at the island and read the news on her phone as she ate her lunch. She was completely engrossed in the news when Claudia entered the house from the backyard. Azucena didn't look up from the news. She continued to eat her lunch in peace.

Claudia took it upon herself to initiate the conversation. Azucena was surprised that Claudia spoke in Spanish to her. They had worked to keep their conversations in English, so as not to be rude regarding Steve and Mary's language barrier, "So your boyfriend flies in today. That must be why you have a spring in your step."

Azucena was conflicted, she didn't want to have this conversation with Claudia, but to ignore her would be rude. She decided to take the middle ground, "I see you've been talking with Mary this morning."

"She says you aren't bringing him by the house. You have a hotel room for the next few days."

"Not certain what any of this has to do with you, Claudia."

"I didn't raise you to have loose morals." Claudia stated, disappointment and disdain in her voice.

"Well, you didn't really raise me at all, so you know nothing about my morals." Responded an irritated Azucena, as she stood up from the island and placed her dishes in the sink. She realized this conversation was only going to go downhill from this point.

"Don't want to have sex with your boyfriend in a house full of family?" questioned Claudia, as Azucena continued to ignore the woman.

Mary walked in at this point in the conversation but couldn't understand a word being said. The only thing she could understand was the anger that came out in Azucena's words. "Feel free to think that of me Claudia, it only shows you know nothing about me."

Azucena turned and headed for her backpack in the living room, but she could hear Claudia over her shoulder, "Get back here young lady, we aren't finished with this conversation."

Azucena picked up her backpack and looked back at Claudia, "You've lied to everyone your entire life, if anyone has questionable morals, it sure as hell isn't me."

Azucena walked out the front door and worked to put Claudia's words behind her. Her stride was quick and angry as she walked towards the bus stop. Claudia had made her angry, but she was bound and determined to put the entire incident behind her and focus on her time with Tommy. Once Tommy arrived, she was shutting off her phone for the next few days. Steve knew which hotel they would be at. If there was an emergency, he would be able to get ahold of her.

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Steve and Catherine sat out on the balcony of the hotel room and took in the view of the ocean. They had enjoyed a lazy morning in bed, room service on the balcony for breakfast, and then a longer than three-minute shower, that might have involved more than scrubbing each other's backs. They were preparing to check out, but wanted to enjoy the view of the ocean from up high for a last few minutes before check out.

Steve interrupted the quiet, "My mother's a handful. So if things get hinky, say the word and we will check back into the hotel."

"Hinky?" Catherine questioned Steve's word choice.

"It's a word 'Cena uses. Her creative vocabulary is rubbing off on me."

"I'm sure everything will be fine." Answered Catherine as she worked to calm down her boyfriend. He didn't normally get nervous, but she could tell that he was on edge. They had talked about Doris the previous evening and she could tell that Steve was very concerned about how this meeting would go. Catherine wasn't worried. Whether Doris liked her or not wasn't a concern to her. Steve was her concern and as long as they were happy together, that's all that mattered.

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As Azucena was finishing up at the check in desk, she could feel the presence of a person behind her. The moment she heard the voice, her heart skipped a beat, "Hey Red."

She turned around and threw herself into the open arms of Tommy. She was so happy and relieved to see this man; she could feel all the anger and frustrations in her body just slip away. She held him and inhaled deeply, his smell reminded her of fireflies and prairie sunsets. She was home.

She loved the feeling of his arms wrapped around her torso and she could feel his stubble scratch against her cheekbone as he said, "God I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." She whispered.

Eventually they pulled apart and Tommy kissed her passionately right in the middle of the hotel lobby. She wasn't expecting the kiss, but she sure as heck wasn't complaining either. When the kiss ended, their foreheads were pressed against each other's, "Come on, we have a room. I have so much to tell you about and honestly, I just want to curl up in your arms and hear your voice."

"I'm not going to complain about that." Said Tommy, as Azucena grabbed his hand and they walked towards the elevator together.

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Steve pulled into the driveway of the house and saw Mary sitting on the front porch, this was not a good sign. He looked over to Catherine, "You say the word and we bail for the hotel."

"Oh my goodness, everything will be fine." Responded Catherine, who was laughing internally at her SEAL boyfriend. The man could tromp through the jungles of the world, take down terrorists, and live off rations for weeks at a time, but his Mother's presence caused a nervousness in him she had never seen.

They climbed out of the truck and walked towards the front porch. Steve spoke first, "What happened?"

"I honestly have no idea, but it was ugly. 'Cena's gone and Mom disappeared about ten minutes after 'Cena."

"What was said?" questioned Steve.

"I don't know, they were yelling in Spanish. I didn't understand any of it." Explained an exacerbated Mary. "I'm pretty sure it's my fault though."

"Why do you say that?" asked a curious Steve, as Mary stood up from the porch and turned to walk in the house. Steve and Catherine followed her inside.

"Good to see you Catherine." Acknowledge Mary, Catherine returned the sentiment and then focused on Mary's words as they walked into the kitchen. "She was in such a good mood this morning that Mom notice it. Mom said something about that and I might have let it slip that Tommy was coming to town today. She was excited to get to meet Catherine and Tommy, but I said that I doubted she would meet Tommy. Mom was upset that they have a hotel room together."

"Why would Doris care about them sharing a hotel room?" questioned Steve, and then he caught on. Before he could take back what he said Mary spoke up in a mock voice of Doris, "Kids that age only have one thing on their mind, sex."

"That's none of Doris' business."

"Well, she was pretty steamed that you were okay with it."

"I know those kids, that is their choice to make. And if they were having sex, it's none of Doris' business." Explained Steve.

"Preaching to the choir, big brother." answered Mary.

"I'll call 'Cena, make sure she's okay."

"Don't bother, it goes straight to voicemail. She turned her phone off."

Steve exhaled, his frustration with Doris growing. It was time for her to either go back or find a new place to stay. That was going to be an unpleasant discussion. Steve pulled out his phone but before he could do anything else Mary interrupted his actions, "I told you, she turned off her phone."

"I bet Tommy didn't." explained Steve.

Catherine interrupted, "I'm sure she's fine, but I might suggest texting him and not calling him. It might feel a little less invasive to your sister if you text."

Steve took in Catherine's words, she was right. He wanted Azucena to know he respected her space and was just concerned. He found Tommy's name and typed a quick message: _Is my sister with you and if so, is she okay?_

"What do we do about Mom?" asked Mary.

"It's time for her to find her own place or go back to Japan. This isn't healthy for any of us."

"Agreed." Answered Mary.


	84. Chapter 84: The Confession

**I've been able to sneak in some writing in the last few days, which is a surprise with our schedules right now. I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Enjoy the time with your loved ones, be they family or friends. Thanks to all who read! ~Avy73  
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The second the door to the hotel room closed, Azucena and Tommy were wrapped up in each other's arms, in full lip-lock. Tommy ran his fingers through Azucena's hair, as the two of them stumbled through the room with bags still on their backs. Tommy had packed light.

They staggered to the bed, and Tommy sat down on the edge, while Azucena straddled his lap without breaking their kiss. Somewhere along the way, their bags had been discarded. In between kisses, Azucena managed to get a few words out, "I've wanted to see you so bad."

Tommy continued to kiss her and play with her hair, but did take a moment to share his feelings. "From the day you called, I've been counting down the hours till I could see you."

Azucena's hands wandered over Tommy's chest, as they continued their frenzied make-out session. She managed to find the hem of his shirt and began tugging it up his chest, as his hands continued to explore her back and squeeze her rear end through the light sundress. When she managed to get his shirt off, she pushed him back to lay flat on the bed.

She leaned down over him and continued to kiss him as she let her hands roam all over his chest. She could feel him harden beneath her, but then she felt a vibration. It wasn't at all unpleasant, but she knew it wasn't natural either. "You're buzzing."

"Hmm?" he questioned, as he hadn't noticed the buzzing of his cellphone, he was so wrapped up in the moment with her. His phone buzzed a second time and he realized what she had been saying. He slid his hand down to his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. In between kissing and fumbling with his phone he saw there was a text message from Steve.

"Your brother texted me." Tommy said, curious what Steve wanted. Azucena on the other hand knew it had something to do with Claudia and wanted to shut out the outside world. Tommy took a moment because he didn't want an angry SEAL coming after him. He knew Azucena was terribly important to Steve and he never wanted to cross the SEAL, and he also respected the man.

Azucena hadn't stopped her assault on Tommy's lips as he clicked on the text message. _Is my sister with you and if so, is she okay?_

Tommy paused and looked at Azucena, "Why's your brother worried about you?"

"Long story, and I will tell you everything later, but let's just be you and me for a little bit. We always get interrupted."

"Red, are you okay?" he asked in full serious mode.

"Absolutely." She responded, looking him directly in the eye. He had known her for years and he knew she was speaking the truth. Everything in her body language said things were good, so he wasn't going to push it. He texted back, _Yes and yes._

Then he focused back on his girlfriend that he hadn't seen for almost four months. He ran his hands under her dress and caressed her thighs that were straddling his lap, "God your skin is so soft."

He could feel her grind against him and he knew he couldn't allow that to happen for much longer, but he was enjoying the sensations. His R&R was off to a great start.

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A flash of light caught Mary's eye as they continued discussing how to ask Doris to leave. Mary tilted her head as she realized the flash had come from the sun reflecting off Catherine's hand, "Is that what I think it is?"

Steve could hear the excitement in his sister's voice and couldn't hide the giant grin spreading across his face, "Yes it is."

"Well it's about damn time. Congratulations you two!" Mary exclaimed with true happiness in her voice. She hugged her big brother and then shared a hug with her future sister-in-law. It was in this moment she knew that moving back was the right answer. She would be home for moments like this, she would be able to get to know Catherine better, and she could build a stronger relationship with both her siblings.

"Well, how did he do it?" Mary quizzed Catherine.

Catherine gushed and told Mary most of the details, minus the more steamier parts of the evening. While she shared the story, Steve's phone buzzed with Tommy's response, _Yes and yes._ This gave Steve a sense of relief. Whatever happened, as least 'Cena wasn't allowing it to affect her time with Tommy.

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After the longest make-out session they had ever been able to have, Tommy finally put the brakes on everything. He knew Red trusted him and he wanted nothing more than to be with her in every sense of the word, but he also didn't want things to move too fast. Not just for Red's sake, but he didn't want to rush into everything. He was okay with letting things move at a natural pace.

They lay on the bed in the hotel room, she was curled up into his shoulder with her hand resting on his chest and her leg laying across his waist. She ran her fingers across his chest. His hand splayed across her thigh and his thumb brushed against her soft skin. They enjoyed the silence and being wrapped up in each other's arms. This was the reset she needed, and she was going to tell him everything, but for now, she was enjoying this.

He was the first to speak up, he moved his hand that had been playing with her hair and wrapped it around her bad shoulder, "How's the shoulder doing?"

He knew, but he was using this as a stepping stone to inquire about the scars on her back. He didn't want to jump right to the worst part of the past. He thought it would be better to build up to it. He knew she was sensitive to the scars her body carried, they were all from terrible experiences.

"It's all healed up, full range of motion and functionality."

"That's good, how about the marks on your back?" He asked, his voice soft and gentle. He knew she would be hesitant to talk about them. Every time they talked about them on the phone, she would give a vague answer and change the subject. He knew she didn't want to relive WoFat, but he was worried about her. He knew she would push it down, like she had Woods. He knew it wasn't healthy, but that's how she dealt with things.

He was surprised when she pushed herself up off his chest. He was afraid his question had caused her to recoil from their discussion, but as he watched her, he realized what she was doing. She sat up on the bed, pulled her hair over her shoulder, and reached up to the top of her dress to undo the zipper. It was an awkward reach, and Tommy sat up, "May I?"

"Yeah." She answered quietly, as she looked over her shoulder towards him. He gently pulled the zipper down the length of her back, and he watched as she pulled the sundress down off her shoulders, her bra straps covering some of the scars. He gently ran his fingers over the dark purple burns that covered her shoulder blades, and he slid her bra strap out of the way, "Do they hurt?"

"Not much anymore, but occasionally." She answered, raw honesty in her voice. "More than anything they are just ugly."

He leaned forward and gently kissed each and every scar on her back, starting at the top near her shoulder blades and working his way down to the small of her back. His gentleness and loving behavior struck her to her core, and she could feel the tears well up in her eyes. She wasn't certain if the tears were from happiness, or the fact that she still bore the scars of WoFat, but she knew he saw beyond them. He saw her for who she was and not the scars of her past.

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Steve, Catherine, and Mary were sitting on the lanai chatting when Doris returned. Mary spoke up, "Mom, come join us."

Doris appeared in the doorway to the lanai and took in the sight of Steve's girlfriend, she was beautiful. The picture in Steve's room didn't do her justice. She stood up and Steve introduced them, "This is Catherine. Cath, this is my mother, Doris."

"Nice to meet you Ma'am." Offered Catherine, as she shook Doris' hand.

"Please, call me Doris."

Everyone sat back down at the table and Doris joined them, "How was your flight out Catherine?"

"Uneventful, which is the best kind." The young woman offered.

"I couldn't agree more."

"We were going to go down to Kamekona's shrimp truck for dinner tonight. Do you guys want to join us?" offered Steve, trying to include his mother in his life.

"That sounds good, but I have an appointment to look at an apartment at 5, I'm not certain when I will be done in time."

"You're looking at an apartment?" Mary asked, barely beating her brother to the question.

"Yes, I'm making things too complicated around here, and in the process, I'm alienating myself from each of you." Shared Doris, "I realized today that you are all grown-ups and I raised most of you right, so it's time to let you live your lives and hopefully, by giving each of you a little distance, I can build a relationship with each of you."

"So you're staying? That's great." Answered Steve, happiness in his voice. He wasn't certain if he was happier she was staying on the island or if it was because he didn't have to broach the topic of her moving out. He truly did want to have a relationship with his mother, but he knew to be guarded with her. He was afraid that Mary was going to get hurt. He felt she wasn't nearly as guarded as she should be.

"What do you mean, raised most of us right?" questioned Mary, really stuck on this sentence. Out of the three of the siblings, she felt like she had made the most mistakes, so if her mother was going to blame her sister for bad decisions, Mary was going to say something.

"Well, I raised you and Steve, and I know the people that helped raise you after I left. I have no doubt in my mind that you are all self-sufficient and making good decisions." Doris paused, "I don't know the people that raised your sister and I'm sure they were good people, but I find myself questioning her decisions at every turn. In the process, I'm alienating her and I'm afraid I'm going to lose any chance I have to reconnect with her. I figure it's best if I find another place to stay and start over here."

Mary mentally rolled her eyes. She had made some questionable choices in the past and had thankfully survived everything. It was probably in her own best interest to keep those stories to herself.

Steve was surprised Doris had recognized her self-destructive behavior, but he was thankful she was going to do something about it. It would definitely make their lives much easier. She might even be able to have a relationship with Azucena, but he wasn't holding his breath.

"When did you decide this?" Steve asked, genuinely curious.

"Right after I called your sister a loose woman." Doris reflected, "Not one of my finer moments."

"You did what?" exclaimed Mary, again beating Steve to the punch.

"I overstepped my boundaries earlier this afternoon when I found out she was staying at a hotel with her boyfriend. I know she's an adult, but I never would have allowed one of you to do that, so I can't imagine why she thinks that is okay." She answered, looking squarely at Steve.

Catherine watched Steve rub the back of his neck, she knew he was getting ready to unload on Doris. Catherine was just surprised that Doris had owned up to her misstep.

Steve spoke up before Mary could even begin to figure out how to tackle her mother's comments. His voice was quiet and deadly. "I'm only going to say this once Doris, if you ever say anything like that to her again, you will not like the consequences of your actions. Just because you are hurt by her rejection doesn't mean you get to lash out at her. You quit on her. Additionally, her sex life is none of your business, or mine for that matter. Her foster parents raised an incredible young woman and I trust her completely."

Steve stood up from the table, he was done dealing with Doris, "I'll be back in forty-eight hours and I expect you to be in your apartment, a hotel, or back in Japan."

Steve disappeared into the house, followed quickly by Catherine.


	85. Chapter 85: Talk To Me

They lay in the bed, Tommy clad in only his jeans and Azucena in her bra and her sundress pooled around her waist. After Tommy had kissed each and every scar, he saw the tears that welled in her eyes, "Talk to me."

"I wish every day were as wonderful as this afternoon has been." She confessed, happy to be in his arms and feeling loved. That was the part that ate away at her, she knew she was loved. Tommy loved her, Jack and Clara had loved her, Steve and Mary loved her, and she loved each and every one of those people. Her own mother couldn't love her; her own mother couldn't keep her acidic words to herself. It hurt, and those words ate away at her.

"What's going on?" Tommy asked, knowing if he waited patiently, she would open up. He had never rushed her in the past and he knew the best way to get her to talk was to just be patient with her. He continued to run his fingers through her hair, as she traced her fingers up and down his chest.

"Do you remember the word 'Shelbourne?'" she asked.

"WoFat wanted to know what Shelbourne was, right?" he worked to remember everything from the past year.

"Yeah," she paused, "When we came home from Kansas, Joe was waiting on our front porch step. He said that since WoFat was in prison, he could take us to Shelbourne."

"He knew what Shelbourne was all along?" questioned Tommy, confused by the deception of Joe Reed.

"Yeah, and I couldn't tell you over the phone."

"I know, you don't have to explain." Tommy said, putting her at ease about keeping this from him. He understood her world was filled with things that couldn't be discussed over an unsecure line. Prior to the military, he wouldn't have understood, but he did now.

"We didn't go right away. Danny told Steve we needed time to heal, and he wasn't wrong." She said, as she ran her finger up his sternum and felt him shiver. Her touch was so light, it almost tickled. "Last week, Steve went with Joe to meet Shelbourne. I didn't want to go. If Shelbourne was such a terrible person, I didn't want that poison touching my life. There's already been enough of that for a lifetime."

Tommy lifted his head and kissed the top of her head. He understood why she stayed behind. He would have been surprised if she had decided to go. He continued to let her share the story, at her pace, running his fingers through her hair. "Steve brought Shelbourne home with him. Shelbourne is our mother."

Tommy's face crinkled in surprise and confusion, "Are you saying the woman who faked her death with your brother and sister is still alive?"

"Mmhhmm" she mumbled, as she nodded her head against his chest.

Tommy continued to connect the dots, "So she didn't die in a housefire when you were eight, like you were told?"

"No, she faked her death again to go into hiding."

"She didn't take you with her?" he questioned.

"I was a sad reminder of the life she gave up with Steve and Mary. She couldn't look at me every day, so she faked her death and left." She quietly explained.

Anger raged through Tommy, and he pushed himself up on his elbows and looked down at her, "What?"

"It's the truth, can't change it."

"What kind of mother just abandons her child?" Tommy asked, angry with a woman he had never even met.

"Well, I don't think she wanted to be a mother again. I knew when I met Steve and Mary I was a surprise, Joe even told us. But Steve and Mary treat me as an equal."

"You've got a good brother." Tommy observed, "I haven't met Mary."

"She's good, you'll like her."

"So what's the deal with your mother?"

"Claudia, her name's Claudia Santiago. I don't call her mom." She shared, "She's a piece of work."

"What do you mean?"

"She basically bailed on me and now she feels like she can cast judgement on me."

Tommy already didn't like the woman. What parent abandons their child? He couldn't imagine his mother giving up any of her children. She would have fought tooth and nail for each of his siblings. Tommy had to remind himself to listen to Red. "What has she done?"

"Well, the other night she decided that I didn't have it in me to be a nurse for severely sick children, so I should be a nurse in a doctor's office."

"That's not her place to say, she doesn't know you."

"I find her to be very overwhelming and I needed to get away, so I booked this hotel room for the two of us. I told Steve what I was doing and he was completely supportive of my decision. Before I came here, she found out I had reserved a hotel room for the two of us and she basically called me a whore."

"Excuse me?" Tommy was pissed now. This woman had no idea what Red had survived in the last eleven years of her life and to make a statement like that was absolutely unacceptable. He knew the whispers that were said in school about Red after the incident. He remembered a few of the guy at school thought she would be an easy lay; she had given it up once, she should be more than willing to do it again. He remembered watching her fight to find her self-worth again. He couldn't forget the nights he held her as she tried to fall asleep and would wake up screaming as she fought against Woods in her nightmares. He knew that some days, she was holding herself together by a mere thread and one wrong look or word would cause her to unravel in private.

Red was strong, stronger than anyone should have to be. She lived through hell multiple times and survived. Some people would view her as fragile and weak, but he knew better. He knew the fighter she was forced to become. He knew how difficult it was to get up every day and face a world where everyone in town knew about the worst moment of your life. He knew that WoFat had created mental and physical scars that she would never get over. He loved her with every fiber of his being and this woman had pissed him off already.

"It's not a big deal." Red tried to downplay Claudia's stinging words, but Tommy knew they hurt. It was like life after the incident all over again. Tommy wanted her to know exactly how important she was to him, he sat up on the bed, and Red followed his actions.

Tommy placed both hands on each of her cheeks, "You are an incredible woman. You are stronger than anyone knows, but in the same instant, you are gentle and caring. You've fought your way through hell multiple times and I am so proud of you. That woman's hurtful words show she knows nothing about you. I love you and I will do anything to support you, you know that, right?"

"I do, it's just, I question if her words are true." Tommy saw the blush rise up in Red's cheeks and he knew where this conversation was headed, "There's a part of me that wants to have sex with you so badly, but there's this other part that isn't ready. I question that if the incident hadn't happened, if we would have already gone further in our relationship than we have. I know you probably want more –"

Tommy stopped her right there, "Red, I love you and believe me, I want to have sex with you. But if I'm being completely honest, I'm not ready yet either. I like where we are at and I want you to be completely comfortable with what happens. Don't let the words of a woman who knows nothing about us make you question your desires. We are the only two people who matter in this relationship."

"You're right." Red conceded, "She just knocks me off balance so easily."

"You know you better than anyone else, trust in that."

She leaned over and kissed him. When she pulled back, she looked up at him, "I was thinking, we haven't shot a game of pool in a really long time."

"Oh, I'm all over that." Tommy said, excitement shining through his voice.

"I know where we can find a few pool tables." She answered, as she stood up from the bed and turned around. Tommy zipped up her dress and she pulled a brush from her bag, running it through her hair. When they looked decent, they exited the room and headed to shoot some pool.

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Catherine watched Steve tear through his room as he gathered clothing for another two nights at a hotel. She didn't say much, but Steve more than made up for her silence, "Can you believe her? Who calls their own child a loose woman? She basically called 'Cena a whore. And then to act like it isn't that big of a deal, what's wrong with her?"

Steve stuffed his spare clothes in the bag and zipped it up. They descended the stairs and were out the front door to the sound of Mary and Doris' raised voices. Steve was thankful Mary was finally seeing the side of their mother he was afraid she would ignore. Not that he wanted her to be hurt, but he wanted her to see how fickle Doris could be when it came to her children.

He threw his bag in the back of the truck cab and climbed in, Catherine clicked her seatbelt into place. He flew down of the driveway and drove in silent anger towards the hotel. Catherine spoke up, "Do you want to call your sister and check on her?"

"I don't want her to think I don't trust her."

"She won't think that." Catherine answered, knowing Azucena and how much she trusted Steve.

"I don't want to interrupt her time with Tommy, but I don't want her to think I'm okay with Doris' actions."

"I think she would probably like to know that you weren't aware of what happened, and you are appalled. She probably took Doris' words pretty hard." Catherine didn't know about the incident, but Steve was certain Doris' words cut her deeper than she was going to let on.

Steve punched at the buttons on his phone while he drove, he called Tommy's number and let it ring.

Three rings into the call, his sister's voice was on the other end of the line, "Steve?"

"I'm didn't know." He sputtered out.

"Not a big deal." She answered, her voice quiet. He knew she didn't want to discuss Claudia, but he wanted to make sure she was okay.

"I don't believe that, but I wanted you to know that I didn't know what she did. I just found out."

"I don't put my trust in her, so her words shouldn't hurt."

Steve knew what she was holding back, "They shouldn't, but they do."

"Part of life." She answered, "How's Catherine?"

"She's good, we're going to stay at the hotel for a few more nights."

"Probably a good plan. I know you guys are probably wanting to spend time alone, but we are down at TJ's Pool Hall. Don't know if you guys like to shoot pool, but you're more than welcome to join us."

"Catherine's kind of a closet pool shark." Steve responded, as he looked over at Catherine. A smile the size of Texas spread across her face, "We'll be there shortly."


	86. Chapter 86: Double Dating

**To all the Guest readers who leave notes, thank you so much! I wish I could respond back to each and everyone one of you. As for the rest of you who leave notes, I try my hardest to respond to your notes, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your kind words of the characters always make me smile. I think you all love the characters just as much as I do. Thank you all! ~Avy73**

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"You up for shooting some pool?" Steve quizzed Catherine, as he hung up the phone. The grin stretched across her face had already told him the answer, but he thought he would ask.

"I could be persuaded into a couple of games." She answered back, coyly.

Steve smiled, he loved Catherine and she had been a good sport throughout the entire day. He thought it best to let her know how much he appreciated her calm demeanor and patience today. He placed his hand on her thigh and gently squeezed it, "Thanks for putting up with my family drama today. I know you didn't expect to come back to all of this and I'm really sorry you have to endure it."

"No need to thank me, your family is important, and your sisters are good people. I would have been thankful to have a big brother like you." Catherine responded, as she placed her hand on top of his and squeezed. Steve looked down at her hand, the ring looked perfect sitting on her ring finger. "You make that look good."

Catherine laughed at his words and then confessed, "I'm really happy about it."

"Me too."

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Steve and Catherine walked into TJ's and spotted Azucena and Tommy at the table in the back corner. They approached the table to watch Tommy sink the eight ball in the corner pocket. Catherine spoke up, "Nicely done."

"Thanks." Answered Tommy, as he stood upright. Azucena hugged Catherine and then introduced her to Tommy. Tommy extended his hand, "It's nice to finally put a face to a name. I really am thankful for everything you've done in the past."

"I agree and don't mention it." Catherine said, brushing aside her role in helping save Azucena from the clutches of WoFat. Steve and Tommy both nodded at each other, typical male greeting.

Steve spoke up, "I didn't realize you guys shot pool."

"Winters back home get pretty cold. Had to find ways to entertain ourselves." Tommy offered, as Azucena racked another game. "Catherine, you want to play?"

"She'll annihilate you." Steve informed Azucena.

"Fair warning." Azucena responded, as Catherine picked out a pool cue.

Azucena removed the rack from the table and stood back, to allow Catherine the opportunity to break. The instant Catherine placed her hand on the table to line up her shot, Azucena noticed the diamond ring sitting on her left ring finger, "Time out!"

Steve laughed at his sister's reaction, he was curious how long it would take her to notice the ring. Catherine looked up from the table and smiled to Azucena, "He finally did it! I'm so happy for you both!"

Tommy noticed the ring as well but didn't know it was a new addition to the hand that carried it. Azucena ran down to the end of the table and hugged Catherine again; she was so happy her brother finally followed through on his plans.

"I'm pretty happy too." Answered Catherine, honestly.

"How did he do it?" questioned Azucena, as Catherine leaned against the table and began telling the story. Steve interrupted her early on, "Longboard?"

"Yes please." Catherine responded. Tommy grabbed the two empty iced tea glasses and walked up to the bar with Steve, "Congratulations."

"Thanks man." Steve said, as they waited for the bartender's attention. "It's been a long time coming."

"She looks happy." Observed Tommy. Steve watched his sister and fiancé chatting, Catherine was much more animated than he expected. He really loved that woman. His focus switched over to his sister, "How's she really doing?"

"She's hurt, but she's not going to say it." Answered Tommy, "She won't verbalize that Claudia has the power to hurt her."

"That's what I was afraid of."

"She didn't tell me right away. She had to build up to it, but she did a damn good job of pushing it down for a while." Tommy paused, debating whether to say anything further. Steve knew there was something more, "Go ahead, you're probably thinking some of the same things I am."

"I know she's you and Red's mom, but she's dangerous."

"Explain." Steve said, waiting to hear if there was more than he knew.

"Red's struggling to trust herself. She's questioning her self-worth and if Claudia's words are true."

"Doris had no right to say those things and we both know they aren't true." Steve said, adamantly.

"I don't disagree, but you have to understand, she's tough because she's had to be. Red is one of the strongest people I have ever known, and I know it's because of everything she's experienced in her life. You've seen the repercussions of WoFat and Woods, but those are the only two people that can knock her off balance. No one else has caused your sister to doubt herself. Claudia falls into that category now."

The bartender approached them with an iced tea pitcher, he refilled Tommy and Azucena's glasses. He looked at Steve, "Two Longboards, please."

The bartender quickly filled the order and took Steve's cash. Steve looked at Tommy, "I kicked Doris out. She has 48 hours to figure out her next move. She's not healthy for any of us, but she's our mom. I don't think any of us know how to handle her."

Tommy was surprised, he didn't expect that news. "Tough decision, but I understand."

The two men turned around and watched the women from a distance. Tommy decided that this was the right time to say something to Steve, "There's something I want to tell you, but I haven't told Red yet."

Steve nodded his head and waited for Tommy to continue. Tommy's eyes were glued to Azucena, "I put in a request to transfer to the Marine Corps Base here in Hawaii."

"Kaneohe Station?"

"Yeah, there's no guarantee the transfer will be approved. I wanted to tell you out of respect. I haven't told Red yet, because I don't want to get her hopes up and it not happen. She means everything to me and I want to be here for her, as much as I can be."

"That's great news man." Steve said, slapping Tommy on the shoulder. "When do you think you'll hear anything?"

"No idea."

"I have some connections with a few of the guys over there, I'll drop in a good word."

Tommy panicked, "I didn't tell you this to get your help."

"I know that, but you're important to my sister and I like you. I know you are a hard worker and those guys would be lucky to have you on their teams. Don't worry, I don't know if I can make anything happen, but I will put in a good word."

Tommy was relieved. He didn't want Steve to think he was angling for help. He truly wanted to be honest with the man, because he had every intention of being in the same time zone with his girlfriend. He missed Red and wanted nothing more than to be with her as often as possible.

The two men headed back to the pool table and watched as each woman called every shot and sunk quite a few balls. As much as Steve thought Catherine was going to school his sister, he had severely underestimated Azucena. He finally spoke up, "How often did you guys shoot pool?"

Azucena pointed her cue to the pocket she was aiming for and didn't even look up from the table, "Frog's folks had a pool table in their basement. We spent quite a few winter nights playing."

"Noted." Smiled Catherine, as she watched another ball sink into the corner pocket. When all was said and done, Catherine won the game, but Steve had a sneaking suspicion that his sister had given her the win.

The ladies perched on barstools, and watched the guys battle it out. Steve had to work to hold his own, but eventually Tommy won. Steve handed his cue to Catherine and headed to the bar to get another round, Red followed with the tea glasses while Tommy and Catherine faced off.

"Does Mary know?" asked Azucena, as she pointed her head in the direction of Catherine.

"Yeah, she was pretty happy for us."

"I think it's great. You guys planned anything out yet?"

"Nah, we haven't made it that far."

"Fair enough." Azucena commented, figuring they had found ways to celebrate their big step the previous evening. Steve changed the subject, knowing his sister wasn't going to bring Doris up, "I told Doris she had forty-eight hours to get out of the house."

He could see the surprise on his sister's face, she managed to form words, "Okay."

The bartender looked towards them and Steve held up two fingers. The bartender grabbed two more Longboards and the iced tea pitcher, as Steve paid for the beers he spoke up, "Mary and I were both of the opinion it was time for her to leave the house. She's not healthy for any of us."

"You sure?" questioned Azucena, afraid that their decision was made in haste as a result of her fight with Claudia. "She's our mother, if you guys want her around that's okay."

Steve knew his sister was trying to be accommodating, but she needed to own the fact that Doris was bad for her. "Doris treats Mary and I like she used to treat us. Her behavior towards you is unacceptable. I can't figure out if she was like this before she disappeared on you or if she's lashing out at you because she's upset with herself or she's jealous of Jack and Clara?"

Azucena took in Steve's words, she had never thought Doris was jealous of Jack and Clara. However, the behavior did match. Azucena thought back to the past, "I don't recall her being rude when I was little."

"Doesn't matter, what matters is that she will be out of the house within the next two days. So, you and Tommy need to enjoy the time you have together and when you come home, she will either be in a hotel, apartment, or back in Japan."

"Works for me." They wandered back over to the table to see a brutal game of pool. In the end, Catherine was the champion, but Azucena knew Tommy had given her the game. He intentionally missed a key shot, but no one would have known it. She had shot pool with him for years and she knew his style. He didn't want to detract from Catherine's good day in any way. This was one of the many things she loved about Tommy.

The four of them ended up eating dinner together at Kamekona's shrimp truck and watched the sunset over the water. Steve was kind enough to drop them back at their hotel, and Steve and Catherine checked back into the hotel they had previously occupied.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

As they stood in the elevator, Azucena wrapped her arms around Tommy's waist, "You are the most generous person I know."

Tommy looked at her, curious to what she was referring to. When he didn't say anything, she spoke up, "I know you let Catherine win that game."

"And how do you know that?" he asked, as he pulled her closer to him, leaned down, and kissed her.

"You missed that shot on purpose. I've seen you sink that shot since we were eleven, but you made it believable today. I was impressed."

"She's had a good day, didn't want anything to detract from it." He answered, as he kissed her again. This time it was a long, passionate kiss. They came up for air when the elevator stopped at their floor and couldn't get back to their room fast enough.


	87. Chapter 87: Passionate Kisses

**I just wanted to say thank you to all the notes! I was blown away by the number of notes left on the last chapter and I agree with the consensus, Tommy is quite the guy! This chapter is a little edgier than I'm used to writing, so if I offend anyone, I apologize. I just felt that these two needed a little intimacy. Thanks for continuing to read!**

 **On a side note, I've had a few requests to update** _ **Follow Your Arrow.**_ **While** _ **The Unknown**_ **is my current labor of love, I'll start to put some effort into** _ **Follow Your Arrow.**_ **~Avy73**

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Tommy awoke to the feeling of her body twitching in her sleep. He could feel a full body shudder, as she fought against the nightmare. He remembered these from four months ago and three years ago. He assumed she was fighting WoFat, but he couldn't be sure. He gently brushed the hair from her face and talked to her, "You're safe Red; I've got you."

He lay in the dark of the room, holding her body to his, and listened to her breathing even out. He felt her body settle, and he continued to gently stroke her hair. He was thankful she hadn't woken up screaming or in tears. When he was confident the nightmare had passed, he allowed himself to relax and quickly fell back asleep.

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She watched him sleep, the sunlight dancing across his thick, brown hair. It had grown out a little, it wasn't as high and tight as she remembered from the last time, but it still was within regulation. If she were honest with herself, she liked his hair a little shaggier, but he was still as sexy as hell in her world.

The small smile on his face made her question what he was dreaming about. She wondered if he dreamed and if those dreams were vivid or muted? Did he remember his dreams, or did he wake up feeling refresh with nothing tugging at the back of his mind?

Her dreams the previous night had been strong and clear, WoFat and his men were haunting her like they did every night. But there was something different about the dream last night, it was like a peacefulness interrupted everything and all the bad stuff disappeared. Tommy's presence was in her dream, and she wondered if it was because he was laying next to her or if her subconscious knew she was safe. Whatever it had been, she was thankful for the rest.

Her attention switched to Tommy's face, as she saw his eyes flutter open. She didn't move but continued to stare at the handsome man laying next to her.

"Mornin'" he said, as he looked over at her, her massive amounts of red hair splayed out on the pillow. He rolled towards her as she answered back, "Morning."

"What time is it?"

"8, but I didn't want to wake you. I figured your internal clock is still off."

"It is, but I don't want to miss a minute of my time with you." He scooted closer to her and held his arms open. She turned around and slid into his arms, becoming the little spoon. She relished in the feeling of his arms wrapped around her and his warm breath on her neck. _Heaven on earth_ she thought to herself, as a small sigh escaped her.

"What do you want to do today?" Tommy asked, as his breath tickled her ear.

"Well, we could paddleboard on the beach, we could lay in the sun, swim at the pool, or go do touristy things. Any of those sound like fun to you?"

"Water, whatever we do, let's be in the water."

"We can make that happen." She said, as she squeezed his arm tighter to herself. She was more than happy to spend the day in the water, but it was going to take some time for her to climb out of bed and free from his arms. She was more relaxed than she had been in quite some time.

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They started the morning with teaching Tommy how to paddleboard. From time to time, Azucena and Steve would paddleboard behind the house, so she had mastered the art of it. Tommy took a little longer to learn the activity, but within half an hour he was standing up and paddling the cove. Azucena paddled alongside him but kept her distance. She knew he could fall off at any minute; she had done it plenty of times.

"You do this regularly, don't you?" questioned Tommy.

"Not really, occasionally Steve and I take the boards at the house out together, but not nearly as much as I would like."

"You still comfortable there?" Tommy was testing the waters out. He knew she was good with Steve. Watching the two of them interact off and on over the past year, he could see the sibling relationship blossom between the two of them. He was concerned about the Claudia aspect.

"Yeah, Steve's great and I don't think I told you, but Mary's moving back to the island." She explained, switching her paddle to the other side of her board. "She got a job at Hawaiian Airlines, so she's going to stay at the house for a while, until she can find a place of her own."

They continued to paddle in silence, "How do you feel about Steve kicking Claudia out of the house?"

"I have a little guilt about that." She answered honestly, and Tommy wasn't surprised by her words.

"Why?"

"I feel like Steve and Mary won't be able to have a real relationship with her because she's struggling with my presence. I have wondered a few times if I were to leave, if they would all be able to get on well together."

"You thinking of leaving?" Tommy quizzed, his concern growing stronger.

"I can't imagine giving up the family I never knew. If Steve asked me to leave, I would but he hasn't done that. I think Claudia is difficult for him as well. Not Mary though, she can just get past all of it."

"I can't wrap my head around it."

"If you could have your dad back, would you forgive him for anything?" Azucena posed the question to Tommy.

"I suppose I would." Not skipping a beat in his answer.

"See, I can't be mad at Mary because I kind of get it."

"This is quite the whirlwind of chaos." Tommy observed.

"Yeah, that's kind of why I needed you to come out. I needed to remember my roots. You ground me, when I don't think I can ground myself. You remind me of the important things." She answered, as she looked over at him. She appreciated the fact that he was in his swim trunks and she enjoyed the view of his naked torso, but she also appreciated his calming presence. That was what she needed more than anything these past few days.

"Anytime Red, you know that."

"I know, and I appreciate it." She answered.

They spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the ocean, curling up under an umbrella on the beach, and people watching. They loved watching people and all their crazy antics. The beaches of Waikiki were no exception.

As the afternoon faded into evening, they went back to the room and got cleaned up. Tommy fully appreciated the royal blue dress that wrapped around her and tied on her left-hand side. The way it draped around her various curves made Tommy's blood pressure rise slightly. His words became stuck in his throat for a moment, "Geez Red, that dress is killer on you."

"Thanks, you look pretty handsome yourself." She responded, as she stood in front of him and ran her fingers up his button-down Hawaiian shirt and pulled him to her. She planted a firm kiss on his lips and Tommy's desire to touch her overtook him and he wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her closer. They lost themselves to passion for a few moments before Tommy stopped them, "We both need food, but damn if I don't want to stay in this room and devour you."

"I feel the same way. Come on, I promised you a nice dinner and you promised me dancing. After that, we can stay up all night enjoying each."

"Promise?" Tommy teased, holding out his pinkie to his best friend.

"Promise." She said, as she wrapped her pinkie around his and they both kissed the knuckle of their thumbs. It was something they had done for ages and they couldn't remember who added the knuckle kissing part, but it something they had always done. They laughed and headed out for a night on the town.

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They enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Sansei Seafood Restaurant. They shared their meal with each other and chatted the entire time. Laughter and happiness exuded from the both of them and when they felt that they had occupied the table longer than acceptable, they wandered down to the Leaky Tiki Lounge and danced the evening away.

The lounge wasn't a hip nightclub that Frog would have wanted to experience, but a local dive bar that played a variety of music. Music that allowed Tommy and Azucena to two step and then in the next instance salsa. There were a handful of other people on the dance floor with them, but they were the youngest and confident in their moves. It didn't hurt that the two of them were definitely in their own world, oblivious to everyone else in the bar.

Azucena was the first to speak up, "I think I'm ready to call it and head back to the hotel."

"Quitting on me already Red?"

"Not so much quitting, but ready to redirect my attention." She responded, with a grin in her words. Tommy's skin buzzed with excitement at her words. He took her hand into his and pulled her into his side, "What are we waiting for?"

She laughed at his behavior and the smile that stretched across his face. They walked back to the hotel laughing the entire time. When they finally made it back to their room, they were fully wrapped up in each other's person.

Azucena tugged at the button's on Tommy's shirt until she had managed to undo each and every one of them while she assaulted his mouth with hers. Her hands roamed all over his chest and down to the button on his jeans, while Tommy gently pulled at the straps keeping her dress tied onto her. When the straps were undone, the dress draped open revealing the black bra and panties she was wearing.

She shrugged the dress off her shoulders, and Tommy kicked his jeans off. The two of them falling onto the bed in their underwear, and never breaking the kiss. Hands roamed and bodies grinded against each other. Tommy's hand traced along the top of her bra and in between kisses he asked, "Can I?"

She knew what he was asking, and she was completely comfortable with him. She moaned out, "Yeah."

She was surprised by how fast his hands found the clasp and undid the hook and eyes. She laughed as she continued to kiss him, looking him in the eye, "You're pretty good at that."

"I've wanted to do it for a long time." He said, completely honest with her. She let her bra slide down her arms and Tommy took in the sight of her soft, ample breasts. They were perfect, and he couldn't contain himself any longer. He reached out and ran his hand over one of her nipples and was turned on by the moan that escaped Azucena's mouth. The sound turned him on, and he took the nipple in his mouth, sucked on it, and flicked it with his tongue, teasing her. He could feel her grind against him, all the while she moaned and pulled his head tighter to her breasts.

They spent the rest of the night exploring each other's bodies. Watching the other person writhe in ecstasy by the mere touch of their partner. Neither of them was ready to go all the way, but they made sure each partner was satisfied.

It was the early hours of the morning when they finally passed out in each other's arms.


	88. Chapter 88: Goodbyes and Nightmares

**I'm not real happy with the way this chapter turned out, but it will have to work. Thanks for continuing to read and all the notes. Happy Tuesday! ~Avy73**

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She admired his sleeping form. Then made a mental image of the soft smile that graced his lips and burned it into her memory banks. She loved him and had enjoyed every moment with him the last few days. This was what she needed to rebalance. She was back to feeling comfortable in her own skin and confident in herself. Claudia could say whatever she needed to say to make herself feel better about her past decisions, it wasn't going to bother Azucena any longer.

Tommy's eye fluttered open, "How long you been awake?"

"Not long." She answered as she leaned closer to him and kissed him, "Good Morning."

"Morning." He responded, admiring the natural beauty of his girlfriend in the morning. Her hair was a lion's mane of chaos, but her natural pink lips popped against the paleness of her skin. "God you're beautiful."

He could see the blush creep up her cheeks as she processed his compliment, "Thanks, you're pretty sexy yourself."

He curled himself around her, becoming the big spoon. She loved being wrapped up in his arms. Her whole world felt safe and secure when he held her like this, "I'm not ready for you to leave."

His breath caused her hair to brush her ear, "I don't want to go, if I'm being completely honest."

"We need to plan our next meet up. I can apply for my passport and come visit you or you can come back? Or we could even meet somewhere else."

"I like all of those ideas. Does one appeal more to you than others? Also, what's your class schedule looking like? We will probably have to plan around your breaks."

"I start classes in two weeks. Once I know when fall break is, I'll let you know. We can figure something out."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Tommy replied, squeezing her closer to his chest. She deeply inhaled his scent, closing her eyes, she could see the field of fireflies the smell conjured. She wasn't ready to let him go.

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Azucena walked into the house to find Mary sitting in the living room flipping through a magazine, "Hey!"

"Hey, how was your time with Tommy?" quizzed Mary.

"It was nice. How have the last few days been?" Azucena asked, as she collapsed on the sofa.

"Well, you heard Steve kicked mom out of the house?"

"Steve mentioned something about that. She still here?"

"Nah, apparently Joe helped her find a place and she left this morning."

"That was quick." Observed Azucena.

"Yeah, I'm surprised she could find a place that quickly, seeing as how I can't find a place that looks semi-decent."

"I didn't know you were struggling to find a place."

"I'm just being picky." Mary confided, "It's hard to settle for someplace, when I currently have beach access in the backyard."

"Fair point." Answered Azucena, completely understanding her predicament. She couldn't imagine finding another place as amazing as this and affordable. Nothing in Hawaii was affordable. She worried if she would be able to stay in Hawaii after college.

"Did you hear about Steve and Catherine?" questioned Mary.

"The proposal?"

"Yes, took him long enough!" Mary exclaimed.

"Everyone moves at their own pace. I'm just happy it worked out for them. I'm sure it's going to be difficult to plan a wedding from an aircraft carrier."

"Well, if she leaves it to Steve, they would get married in the backyard in board shorts and slippers." Mary explained, and Azucena laughed out loud.

"Where are those two, anyways?" inquired Azucena.

"Steve took her to the airport."

"Oh, the dreaded goodbye. Those suck so much."

"Was it hard to say goodbye to Tommy this morning?"

"Yeah, but I loved every moment of him being here. I wish we could have hung out and you could have met him."

"With me moving back, it will definitely happen."

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Steve had used his badge to get past security and sat with Catherine while they waited for her flight to board. He wanted her to stay, but he understood the commitment she had made. It was the same commitment he had made, but she wasn't ready to transfer to the reserves. She was going to try to get a transfer to Pearl. If that didn't pan out, they would create a new plan.

When the final boarding group was called, they stood up, "I've had a wonderful time Sailor."

"I agree, and I'm ready for you to come back." He replied, as he pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her. He hated goodbyes, his life had been full of them. In the near future, he wouldn't have to do this with her. They would wake up and go to bed together in the same house every day, not on the other side of the world.

She reached up and kissed him long and hard, and then turned to go, "See you soon Sailor."

He raised his hand to wave at her, "See you soon."

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Life slowly returned to normal at the McGarrett/Santiago residence. Steve's work schedule rarely slowed down, Azucena was busy with school and work, and Mary was a part time resident. After Mary moved her stuff out to the islands, she continued to look for a place to stay, in between flights to and from the mainland. She would be gone for days at a time and then home for two days. It took a little getting used to, but the three siblings found their stride and were happy living together.

It was a warm night in late August, Azucena had stayed up late at the dinner table studying for her Anatomy class. The house was quiet, as Mary was traveling and Steve had gone to bed hours earlier. She had noticed he had been quieter as of late, but she figured he was still trying to determine what to do about Claudia. The first time she heard his voice, she thought he was answering his phone, but the second time, Steve was screaming.

Azucena wasn't certain what had caused the screaming, but she took the stairs two at a time. She flipped on the hallway light and from Steve's doorway, she could tell he was dreaming. He was partially under the covers, and she could see his eyes were closed. There was mumbling on her brother's part, but in the next instant there was more screaming, "FREDDIE, NO! NO, NO, NO, NO!"

She knew the terror of being caught in a nightmare and she guessed this was personal. It wasn't just a random bad dream. The desperation in Steve's voice was visceral. If the roles had been reversed, Steve would have barged into her room and talked to her until she woke up. Or he would have gently grabbed her shoulder to wake her from her dream. She knew better than to approach her brother, he was a SEAL. She knew he could be deadly, so the idea of approaching the sleeping man wasn't an acceptable option.

She stood in the doorway and called out to him, "Steve, wake up. It's just a dream."

That didn't rouse him from his nightmare, he was still moving about restlessly under the covers. She could swear she saw tears on his cheeks, but no matter how bad the dream was, she didn't dare approach him. She raised her voice and tried for stern, "Steven McGarrett, wake up! You're dreaming!"

That did it, he was startled out of the nightmare and she could see that he wasn't aware of his surroundings. He was still pushing the remnants of the dream from his sight. She decided hearing a familiar voice would help, "You're at the house, in your room. It was a nightmare."

He sat up in bed, pulled the blankets back, and planted his feet on the bedroom floor. His breathing was heavy, as he leaned forward and placed his face in his hands. She watched him and felt compelled to give him a moment of privacy, to gather himself. "Want a cup of water?"

"Please." He responded, not lifting his head.

She ran downstairs and promptly returned with a cup of water. This time, she did leave the doorway and walked up to him. She held it out to him and he took it, avoiding eye contact. He sipped it, the way she did when she fought off the nightmares, like he wasn't certain his stomach would keep it down.

"Want to talk about it?" her voice was soft, supportive.

"I can't." he answered, when he finally raised his head, she could see the years on his face. Years of following orders and fighting to stay alive. Years of killing people to make sure the rest of the world was safe. She had never asked what exactly his specialty was as a SEAL, but she knew it caused nights like this.

"Classified?"

"Yeah." He answered, he looked like he was going to get sick.

"Can I do anything to help?"

He lifted the cup of water, "This helped, thanks."

He stood up from the bed and walked over to the bathroom, "Get some sleep kiddo."

She watched as he closed the door and she heard the running of the shower. She knew that trick, wash off the nightmare. It was amazing how nightmares could make you see the scars and the blood on your person and the others. It helped to have the hot spray wash it all down the drain.

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She sat in the chairs on the beach, the rays of the morning sun shining down on her. She watched him cut through the water. His movements were graceful and concise. When he pulled himself out of the water and waded to shore, she spoke up, "Running this morning?"

"Yeah." He answered, she could see exhaustion etched into his face. He smiled to try and cover it up, but he couldn't get this past her. She was the expert on pushing down the nightmares. She didn't bring it up, she just waited for him to dry off and slip into his running shoes.

They ran in silence for two miles before she said anything. If it had been anyone else, she probably would have kept her mouth shut; but Steve had been there for her through the night terrors and the screaming. This was the least she could do for him.

"Did you lose him?"

"Lose who?" Steve questioned, knowing she was referring to the previous night.

"Freddie." She supplied, "Was he a friend?"

"He was my best friend." Not offering anything further. He knew the tables were reversed in this instant and as much as it irritated him, he also appreciated her support.

"He was a SEAL?" She was tying the pieces together. He had yelled out this name and when asked about it, he couldn't discuss it.

"Yeah."

"Losing people sucks." She answered, knowing nothing she could say would help. She had lost friends and family members and no words of comfort could fix the hole that sat in your heart. The emptiness just ate away at your person until one day, the emptiness changed. It still hurt, and it still sat there, but it didn't have the same sharp edges it once had. It had become smoother and less jarring. It still hurt, but it was different.

"It does."

"I know you can't talk about it, but if you ever want to talk about your friend, I'll be more than happy to listen."

"Thanks kiddo." And they left it at that.


	89. Chapter 89: Lou Grover

**To the guest that left the note about not liking the last chapter because Catherine and Tommy were leaving, I think you were right. Also, I appreciate every note you leave. Thanks! ~Avy73**

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As she let herself into the house, she could hear the two voices. Grown men arguing with each other, "I'm telling you McGarrett, you need to go to the hospital. You have a bullet wound!"

"It's nothing major, I'll be fine." Steve responded. From the sound of his voice, she could tell he was moving through the house. She dropped her bag on the floor next to the sidebar and walked into the kitchen. There was a towering man standing there, preparing to say something further when he caught sight of Azucena.

Azucena could read the confusion on the man's face. Lou Grover ran everything he knew about Steve McGarrett through his head. Steve didn't wear a ring, so this couldn't be his wife. She looked way too young to be his girlfriend. Maybe Steve had roommates, rent was expensive in Hawaii and he couldn't fathom the cost of beach front property on the island.

Azucena took pity on the man, she extended her hand, "Hi, I'm Azucena. You must be Captain Grover."

"Nice to meet you." He responded, shaking her hand. She could tell he still didn't have any idea who she was. She walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water and offered it to Lou, "How'd my brother get shot this time?"

She could see relief wash over Lou's face the instant he could place the young woman, McGarrett's sister. He realized there was quite the age gap, but thought it was better to focus on the question presented to him. He took the bottle of water from the young woman. "Your brother . . ."

Steve interrupted him as he walked into the kitchen with the first aid kit and sat down at the island. Azucena was at the kitchen sink washing her hands. On the rough days, that didn't require a visit to the hospital, he came home and allowed his sister the opportunity to practice her medical skills on him. "Lou's a little upset that one of the suspects grazed me with a bullet."

She dried her hands off on a towel and grabbed some rubber gloves from the first aid kit.

"Little upset? You were shot McGarrett!" exclaimed Lou, as Azucena examined the wound. Steve grinned with the next words out of his sister's mouth, "It's just a flesh wound, doesn't look like it hit anything, you should be good."

Lou stood in the kitchen, slack jawed at the two siblings. He watched as the young woman picked up peroxide and gauze and started to clean the wound. As she examined the wound closer, "What's smeared all over it?"

"Honey and cayenne pepper." Explained Steve.

"Apparently it helps stop the bleeding." Lou chimed in.

"Bet it stings like a bitch." Observed Azucena, as she continued to clean the wound.

"It's not pleasant."

"You two are insane. He's got a bullet wound in his arm and you are discussing the merits of honey and cayenne pepper!" Lou's voice rising an octave.

Azucena giggled, this probably did look a little odd to an outsider. Steve looked to Lou, "Calm down Lou, she's a nursing student. This is real world learning opportunity for her."

Steve's words pushed Lou over the edge. There were unintelligible noises and then Lou found his words, "She's a student? You were shot! You need to see a real-life medical professional."

"Not to worry Captain, he's trained in field medicine. He tells me if I'm doing something wrong." Offered Azucena, hoping that would calm the man. It seemed to have the opposite effect, Lou looked like his head was going to explode. "This is ludicrous."

"Calm down Lou," Steve offered, "It doesn't even hurt. She'll patch me up and I'll be right as rain. You can go home for the night. I'll have Danny pick me up in the morning and I'll get my truck then."

Lou looked at the two of them and turned his attention to Azucena, "Young lady, if he shows any signs of a fever or discomfort get him to the hospital immediately. I don't care if he thinks he can fix it himself, he needs professional help on so many levels."

Azucena smiled and nodded her head, "Yes Captain, I'll make sure he is taken care of by professionals if things deteriorate."

Lou looked at Steve, "You! Lord there aren't enough words for what I want to say to you. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Night Lou!" Steve yelled, as the man turned and walked out of the house. Azucena continued to work on Steve's arm, "He's a riot. Now I better understand the stories you have been telling me."

"He's a good guy. Bossy as hell, but a good man."

"What happened today?" she asked as she started to apply an antibiotic ointment to the wound.

"We were working with SWAT to chase down a lead and I got distracted."

"By what?" she questioned him.

"I was in my own mind. I should have been focused on the case at hand." He responded, she could hear him beating himself up internally. She knew there was a lecture going on inside his head at the moment. She quietly asked, "Freddie?"

"Yeah." He supplied, without going into further detail. She continued to work on the wound in silence, knowing he wasn't going to share anything until he was ready. They were similar in that manner and she knew it.

As she was cutting the gauze to the size of the wound, his voice broke the silence, "We were on a classified mission. Things went sideways, and Freddie didn't make it out. Tomorrow marks the two-year anniversary of his death."

She paused, looking up from the wound she had been working on, "I'm sorry."

Steve waved it off, he knew she meant her condolences, but it just ate him alive. He knew it wasn't his fault that Freddie was killed; it was more than a two-man mission. He sometimes felt like they were set up to fail. They had gotten the package they were sent for, but only one man returned and that ate at him every day.

"What was he like?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. She was curious about the people her brother surrounded himself with prior to life on Five-0.

"Freddie was a solid guy. He was quiet and determined, but he had this fun side. A side that could make you laugh in the shittiest of times. He was engaged to be married and they were pregnant, and then we lost him."

"You close with his fiancé?"

"We talk from time to time. Their daughter is the spitting image of him." Steve pulled his phone out and pulled up the text messages between him and Kelly. He held his phone out for her to see and flipped through pictures, "She's a cutie!"

"Yeah." Steve agreed, a smile finally on his face.

She finished placing the tape around the gauze and started to put items back in the first aid kit. "You're all set now."

"Thanks." He said, as he wandered into the laundry room and shucked his shirt off into the wash machine.

"Hungry?" she yelled at him, as she threw the latex gloves in the trash and washed her hands.

"Not really, you?"

"Nope, let me know when you want to eat, and I'll start dinner."

"Mary home today?" he hollered, as he walked back into the kitchen.

"Her flight gets in at 9:30 tonight." Azucena answered, as she looked at Mary's work schedule posted on the side of the fridge.

Steve leaned against the doorframe from the dining room to the kitchen, his voice suddenly somber, "Saturday marks the two-year anniversary of our dad's death. I was going to go to the cemetery and visit his grave if you wanted to go."

He watched his sister's face contort into a combination of sadness and uncertainty. Then she started twisting her fingers together, as she made eye contact, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I don't do cemeteries."

He looked at her, waiting for her to explain. She leaned back against the kitchen counter and continue to fidget with her fingers. "I could be wrong, but most people go to the cemetery to feel closer to the ones they have lost. I've never felt close to anyone there, I just feel surrounded by death. I find comfort in the everyday actions that remind me of my family, cooking, gardening, and talking to them. Do you think that after you visit his grave, we could dig up some of those old photo albums in the basement and you could tell me about him?"

He was slightly surprised by her answer, but he understood the request. "Yeah, we can look through the old pictures."

He reached into the fridge and pulled out a Longboard. His mind flipped back to the cemetery in Silver Pond, then he looked at her, "So I have a question."

"Shoot." She answered.

"If you don't do cemeteries, why did you plant all those flowers around the Pressgrove's headstone?"

"Jack loved to work in the garden, whether it was vegetables or flowers, he loved watching things grow. I felt one of the best ways to honor him was to plant some flowers so there would always be something pretty by their headstone. I don't go back there though, only for funerals."

"It's been a year since you lost Jack, hasn't it?"

"Two weeks ago marked the one year anniversary." She answered, her eyes beginning to glisten.

"I'm sorry."

"I didn't expect you to remember, besides I wasn't even certain if I should say anything about this weekend."

"He was your father too." Steve said, trying to make sure she understood that he would have loved her.

"I know and I'm sure I would have loved him, but I feel kind of like a poser. I mean, I always wanted to meet the man Claudia described as my father, but I knew it was never a possibility. To find out that he was alive my whole life makes me so angry. I wanted to know him, but I didn't have the relationship with him like you and Mary. I don't have the same sense of loss that you and Mary have. That's the sense of loss I have for Jack."

Steve nodded in understanding, he knew where she was coming from. Then the idea struck him, "You work on Saturday?"

"I have the evening shift, why?"

"When I was a kid, Dad would take us hiking to the petroglyphs. I know you've been wanting to see them, so we could make a morning of it."

"That sounds like a good idea." Genuine enthusiasm was in Azucena's voice. "Let's make it happen." 


	90. Chapter 90:Imagination Playing Tricks

**Goodness, thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I'm blessed beyond measure that you are all enjoying the story. Thank you for continuing to read! ~Avy73**

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Fall came with a flurry of activity. Mary continued to live at the house while she searched for a place she liked. If she was being honest with herself, it was nice to be back home with her brother and sister and staying in the house she had known since she was little. She really appreciated the fact that when she came home from a week on the road for work, there was food in the fridge and Azucena always had a plate of dinner for her tucked into the fridge. She could get used to this, but she knew she needed to find her own place.

Steve's focus was primarily work and Catherine. She would be able to get a transfer, but it wouldn't be for another six months, at the earliest. They weren't exactly thrilled about the wait, but they had waited this long. They could hold out another six months, when March arrived, they could start planning a wedding.

Azucena spent her time focusing on school and work. When she wasn't studying or working, she spent time dancing and from time to time, meeting up with the friends she had made since arriving on the island. Life was starting to feel normal and she was thrilled.

From time to time, Doris would drop by the house, but she kept her visits to a minimum. Steve would meet up with her every other week for rowing in the mornings or breakfast before work. Mary made it a point to have lunch with Doris once a week on her days off. She was thrilled to have her mother back and took advantage of her time with the woman. Azucena didn't reach out to Doris and only saw the woman when she randomly stopped by the house or had dinner with them. Each of the siblings found it was easier to interact with their mother on a one-on-one basis and build the relationship with her that they wanted.

In the early part of October, Steve offered to hold the annual poker tournament. All money went to the HPD Widows and Orphans funds. Danny had been on the hook for sandwiches and Steve recruited Azucena to make side dishes and desserts. She made everything: potato salad, deviled eggs, pasta salad, fruit salad, New York style cherry cheese cake, homemade brownies, and multiple pies. Steve had tried to help her with everything, but eventually he got frustrated because his sister didn't measure anything in a practical manner. She cooked by feel and he wasn't going to complain, her food was amazing, but he couldn't measure ingredients by the weight of them in his hand. That was a talent he didn't possess.

When everything was finished, she cleaned up the kitchen, with Steve's help.

"How late are you working tonight?" he asked, knowing the main level of the house was going to be overtaken by all his friends and co-workers.

"My shift ends at five and then I'm going to hit up the library to get in some studying for my exam next week."

"Everyone's going to arrive at 6 tonight. You want me to save one of Danny's famous sandwiches for you?" asked Steve, as he continued to scrub at the mixing bowl. He chuckled as he watched her face light up in excitement, "Oh yes, please do. If he makes a meatball one, will you snag it for me? If not, most anything will do. As long as it doesn't have spam on it."

"Don't worry about the spam, Danny doesn't recognize it as food."

"I'm not certain it should be recognized as a food." She responded, joking could be heard in her words.

"Don't let Kamekona hear you say that. He would find that blasphemous."

"He would." She agreed, as she finished wiping down the counters. "Do you need help with anything else? I need to leave in about fifteen minutes."

"Nah, go get changed. Thanks for everything, I really do appreciate you doing this."

"It goes towards a great cause, no problem." She answered and then disappeared upstairs to change into her work clothes.

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Danny arrived around 5:30, loaded down with a cooler of sandwiches. He barged into the house and grabbed a Longboard out of the fridge and a deviled egg. Steve descended the stairs, with his hair still wet from the shower.

"Did 'Cena make all of this food?" Danny asked, as he popped the deviled egg into his mouth.

"I helped." Steve claimed, as he pulled another Longboard from the fridge.

"You helped? Like did you lick the beaters when she was done mixing the brownies up?" Danny asked, because he knew Steve could cook, but Azucena was a whirlwind in the kitchen.

"I helped wash the dishes." Steve answered honestly. "I tried to help her, but she doesn't measure things like a normal person, and she doesn't have any of these recipes written out. I couldn't keep up with her."

"Tell her thanks, I'm looking forward to trying everything."

"Her payment is one of your meatball sandwiches. Did you make meatball?" asked Steve.

"Did I make meatball? Did I make meatball? Am I not Italian and from New Jersey? Of course, I made meatball."

"Good, pull one out and set it aside for her." Said Steve, as he took a pull from the beer. Danny rummaged through the cooler of sandwiches and placed a meatball sandwich in the fridge.

They spent the next half hour setting up card tables and chairs. When the guests began to arrive, they pulled food from the fridge and laid everything out on the island and kitchen counter. Dog the Bounty Hunter and Duke Lukela were the first to arrive, followed quickly by Kamekona and Flippa. Each man came loaded down with various types of beer, and Kamekona arrived with shrimp fried rice.

As they were situating beers in the cooler, Chin and Kono arrived with the cards and poker chips for each table. The cousins were organizing the tables when Lou Grover, Adam Noshimuri, Jerry Ortega, Max, Mamo, and Governor Denning arrived.

Everyone helped themselves to food and beer and eventually sat down to play poker. Everyone hoping to win but knowing the money would go to a good cause. Hours passed and it was interesting to see who was decent at poker and who was thankful to have food around after they lost.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Azucena stayed at the library until 9, studying for an organic chemistry test. As much as she enjoyed school, organic chemistry was killing her. She had put in two and a half hours and still didn't feel like she was the least bit ready for the exam. She would take a break and study more tomorrow, or perhaps after she got home and ate some food. She was starving and if she was honest with herself, she was looking forward to some homemade pasta salad. She had tucked a small bowl into the back of the fridge earlier this morning when she was cooking.

She loaded up her backpack and headed towards home. She stood at the bus stop and waited for the bus she wanted. She scrolled through her phone, reading the news as she waited. Then a feeling she couldn't shake came over her. She felt like she was being watched. She looked all around her, the woman next to her was engrossed in a book while she waited for a bus. There was a young couple walking their dog and everything else was dark. She couldn't see anything, and she told herself to shake it off, she was tired and her imagination was being active. When the bus pulled up to the stop, she was secretly relieved.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Azucena walked into the house and felt overwhelmed and relaxed at the same moment. The house was full of people and they were all laughing and having a good time. The moment she opened the door she was greeted from Kamekona, "Hey Little Sista!"

"'Cena!" Kono and Danny at the same time.

"Azucena, good to see you!" from Max.

"Hey everyone!" she answered back and ran upstairs with her backpack. She dropped her bag off in her bedroom and grabbed her kindle. She was tired of studying and decided she would eat dinner on the lanai and get some pleasure reading in. She wasn't ready to go to bed, and she doubted she would be able to sleep in the house with all the noise.

She wandered back downstairs and into the kitchen, where she bumped into Lou Grover, "Azucena, good to see you again. Did I say that right?"

"Yes Captain, you said it correctly." She smiled, "It's good to see you as well."

She opened the door to the fridge and rummaged into the back where she had stashed her pasta salad and found the meatball sub the guys had saved for her. When she turned to the counter, she saw Steve, "You found the sandwich we saved for you."

"Yeah, thanks!"

Lou took this moment to speak up, "McGarrett here took credit for your hard work."

"Did he?" she asked, as a smile spread across her face.

"When we pressed him a little harder, he informed us that he might have been your assistant."

"He pulled his own weight." She answered, as she laughed at the look Steve was giving Lou.

"What's the secret to your pasta salad? I haven't had one like this on the island before."

"It's a recipe from back home. The secret is the dressing, I use creamy Italian."

"Back home? I thought your family was from here McGarrett?" Confusion lined Lou's face.

"Mary and I are from here, 'Cena grew up in Kansas." Explained Steve, as Azucena continued to prep her dinner plate.

"Kansas, that's a heck of a long ways from here." Observed Lou.

"Yeah, but isn't Chicago further?" Azucena asked.

"Feels like it's on the other side of the world." Answered Lou honestly.

"I know what you mean." She agreed, as she placed a scoop of fruit salad on her plate. Kamekona walked into the kitchen.

"Little Sistah, you did good. You want to come work for me?" Kamekona said, as he cut a piece of cheesecake for himself.

"Thanks Kamekona, but I'm pretty happy with my current job."

"You want to play?" Steve asked Azucena, as he cut himself a slice of key lime pie.

"We could deal you in." offered Lou.

"Thanks, but I don't know how to play, so I'll pass."

"You don't know how to play poker?" asked Kamekona.

"Nope, never been real good at play cards and keeping a straight face."

"She'll hustle you in pool though." Said Steve, as he headed back into the living room. Danny walked into the kitchen, and hugged Azucena as he made his way to the cheesecake, "You my dear, are a food goddess. Thanks for everything."

"Thanks for the sandwich." She hugged him back and headed towards the back door, kindle, food and bottle of water in hand. She ate her dinner and enjoyed the serenity of the backyard. When she finished, she picked up her kindle and read. She hadn't been reading for too long, when that feeling of being watch came over her again. She looked around the back yard and didn't see anything. She told herself she was imagining things and went inside.


	91. Chapter 91: He's Here

**Trigger Warning – Please be forewarned.**

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The news was too depressing, so Danny flicked the television back to the hockey game. He had finished dinner and was debating whether or not to get up and get a second beer out of the fridge when his cell phone rang. Reading the name on the screen he decided to answer it, "Late night Duke?"

"Danny, I couldn't get ahold of Steve, so I thought it best to call you." Duke responded, his voice filled with concern.

"He's at Pearl on Reserve duty this week."

"I need you to come down to Kaheika and Waileia. Get ahold of Steve, he's going to need to come home."

"I'm on my way now Duke, but I need you to tell me what is going on." Concern coated Danny's words, as he grabbed his keys.

"Man was walking down the street and heard commotion in an alley. He entered the alley and found a man assaulting a woman." Duke paused, "It's Azucena."

"How bad?" Danny asked cradling the phone with his shoulder as he locked his front door and jumped into his car.

"She's in shock and won't let us get too close to her." Duke swallowed, "Danny, I'm afraid we might be looking at sexual assault."

"Jesus." Danny exhaled, it felt as if a fifty pound weight had just landed on this chest. "I'm five minutes out."

"We'll wait for you."

Danny hooked his phone up to Bluetooth, hit Steve on speed dial, turned on his sirens, and pulled out of his driveway. Steve's phone went to voicemail, "It's Danny; I need you to call me the minute you get this!"

Danny weaved through traffic as he tried to process what he was going to tell his partner and what he was about to encounter. Azucena had worked her way into Steve's heart, and he had never seen his partner happier than to have another sister. She was spunky, feisty, and had a way of making everyone laugh. Steve's life was fuller with her in it.

Danny pulled up behind the three cop cars and one ambulance that were staged around the alley. Duke met him at his car, "Did you get ahold of Steve?"

"No, I told him to call me." He responded as he exited the car. "Can you have one of your guys drive to Pearl and get him? Where's she at?"

They had walked to the entrance of the alley, Duke gestured to the two blue dumpsters against the building. "He had her pinned on the ground on the other side of the dumpsters. We called SVU, but we called you first. Thought it was best to have a familiar face. She's in shock, not registering outside stimuli."

"Thanks Duke." Answered Danny. He took a deep breath, ran his hand through his hair and entered the alley. As he passed the dumpster, he was not prepared for the sight in front of him. The vibrant young redhead he always laughed with was curled up into the corner of the dumpster and the brick wall.

Her skirt was torn up to the waistband and her tank top was ripped open down the front with a broken bra strap stick out the arm of the top. One swollen, bruised hand held the fabric of the tank top together and the other held the skirt together at the rip. She was rocking gently back in forth as she stared at the ground. She didn't even register Danny walking up to her and kneeling in front of her.

Once he was on her level, he could hear her franticly whispering to herself, "He's here. He's here. He's here."

"Azucena," he offered, "It's Danny."

She didn't register his presence; she continued to whisper to herself and shivering, "He's here. He's here. He's here."

"Azucena, I'm right here." He gently asked, "Azucena, can you look at me?"

She peered up at his face, but didn't look him in the eyes. She had the beginnings of a black eye and her lip was cut. There was a gash above her left eye. He could see the bruises forming on her arms and the hand shaped bruises on her neck. Fingernail scratches marred her chest. Danny's stomach churned at the sight of violence inflicted on the young woman. "Azucena, you have a lot of bruises on your hands, arms and face. Can you tell me what happened?"

Her gaze flickered around, but eventually landed on Danny. This time she made eye contact, "He's here."

"Who is here, Azucena?" asked Danny, he didn't know who "he" was. Was it WoFat or the man who had attacked her years ago?

"He's here." Her teeth were chattering at this point, and her eyes had a lost look about them. Terror and desperation.

"Azucena, you are injured. We need to take you to the hospital to get checked out by a doctor. Is that okay?" He was trying to keep everything simple. He didn't want to overwhelm her and he knew she wasn't processing everything at the moment. She was in shock.

She shook her head, looking at the ground, her teeth still chattering. Danny could swear the bruises were getting darker the longer he talked to her. Her eye was already swollen and becoming more bruised by the minute.

He looked around the dumpster to the police officers. From the looks of things, SVU had shown up and were waiting for any indication they could be of assistance. Danny gestured for a blanket.

"Azucena, I'm going to get you a blanket, so you can stay warm, okay?"

She didn't respond, she continued to look at the ground, shivering, and repeating the phrase, "He's here."

The female SVU officer handed Danny the blanket and retreated away from where they were gathered on the ground. "Azucena, I'm going to wrap this blanket around you, okay?"

When she didn't respond, Danny opened the blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders like you would a child who wants to be a superhero. He brought the edges together in front of her, "There you go."

"Danny?" she finally recognized the person in front of her.

"Yeah Azucena, I'm here."

"I need to go home." She managed to say, through chattering teeth.

"Honey, we need to take you to the doctor and get checked out." Danny responded, "You have a lot of bumps and bruises. Looks like your wrist might be broken as well."

"I need to go home Danny."

"Azucena, I know this is really difficult, but I need to take you to the hospital. Will you go to the hospital with me?"

"No doctors." She said, shaking her head, "I just want to go home and shower."

"Azucena, your hand looks like it is broken." He paused, taking a different tack. "Can I take you to Malia to have her look at your hand?"

"Malia." She tested the name on her tongue, she was beginning to waffle when Danny interrupted her thoughts, "Malia will help you with your hand. No men in the room, we can even have a lady security officer so he can't get you at the hospital."

Having no idea who "he" was, but he knew she had to get checked out. He had to make sure her hand wasn't broken and if she had been sexually assaulted, he didn't want to violate standard operating procedure. This was Steve's little sister, they were going to get this guy.

She said it so softly, that he almost missed it. "Malia will be fine."

"Malia will be fine." He repeated in relief, "Azucena, stay right here. I'm going to tell Duke to call the hospital and have Malia ready for us when we arrive."

"Duke's here?" she questioned in horror. Realization finally dawning on her that there was noise on the other side of the dumpster. There were people that knew what had happened on this side of the dumpster. People would see what he had done to her, they would know. She started to panic, tears sliding down her cheeks, "Oh God."

"Hey, hey, hey," Danny tried to comfort her, "They want to help you. That's why Duke called me. He wanted you to have privacy. He wanted you to have someone you know with you. Someone is on their way to get Steve right now. Steve's going to meet us at the hospital."

"Oh God, Steve's going to be so pissed." The sound of absolute horror in her voice.

"Honey, he isn't going to be upset with you." Danny paused, he wanted to get her out of this alley and checked out by a doctor. "He's going to be worried about you. So let's get you to the hospital so we can get you cleaned up."

She reluctantly nodded her head. Danny looked at her, "Do you think you can walk or do you need a stretcher? The ambulance is about 75 feet from here."

"No ambulance, no people, can we just go in your car?" she was starting to panic. He knew if he didn't reign her in, she was going to veto the hospital. "Okay, okay, we can ride in my car. I'm going to pull my car closer so you don't have to walk very far. I'll be right back."

Danny stood up, and walked back to where Duke stood. "I can get her to go to the hospital, but only if Malia treats her. Can one of your guys call Chin and see if Malia can meet us there? I don't know if she is working tonight."

"Officer Moka, call Lt. Kelly." Said Duke, as he looked to the officer at his side, he turned back to Danny. "I sent a car to get Steve; I'll have the officer take him to Queens once we get him."

"Thanks Duke." Danny ran his hands through his hair, "She won't go in an ambulance, I'm going to pull my car up into the alley. She's overwhelmed with all the people. Is there any chance you guys can . . ."

"Be less visible?" offered Duke, "Yes, we can stand outside the alley while you help her into the car. We will radio ahead that you will be at the hospital shortly."

"Thanks Duke." Danny clapped him on the shoulder as he ran over to his car. Duke had directed the officers to move their vehicles and vacate the alley for the time being. Danny drove his car right past the dumpsters and pulled up in front of Azucena. He got out, walked around to the passenger side, and opened the door. He walked over to Azucena and knelt in front of her.

As she pulled the blanket tighter around her body she twinged in pain. Something was definitely wrong with her wrist. Fortunately, the blanket was large enough to be wrapped around her entirely without her having to continue to hold her clothes to herself.

Danny told her what he was going to do before he acted, "Azucena, I'm going to put my arm around you to help you up. Is that okay?"

She nodded her head. Danny reached out to help her up; she shuddered momentarily and then accepted his help. Using his body as a shield, he walked her towards the car and blocked her view of the street. As he helped lower her into the car, the blanket flew open in the wind. He could see the bruises left by hands on her neck and the scratch marks on her chest. He swallowed the anger that flowed through him.

He started to pull the seatbelt over her, and she started to shake, "Please no. I can't handle that right now."

Then he realized what she meant, she would feel trapped. "I understand."

He closed the car door and ran around to the driver's seat. He slid into the car, put his seatbelt on, and backed out of the alley. He could see out of the corner of his eye, she was staring at the floorboards of the car. She didn't want to see anyone. She was ashamed and embarrassed.

The ride to the hospital was quiet. She never said a word and he didn't want to make things further uncomfortable for her. He only asked her one question, "Sirens?"

"No, thank you." She didn't want people to notice them, let alone stare. She couldn't go through all that again. She wasn't certain she could handle it a second time.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Danny pulled up to the hospital emergency entrance. Malia was standing out front. Danny could see Chin standing off to the side, but he doubted Azucena had noticed. She continued to stare at the floorboards of the car, refusing to acknowledge the outside world. Malia walked towards the passenger side of the car and opened the door. She knelt at eye level with Azucena. "Azucena, let's get your wrist fixed."

By this time, Danny had gotten out of the car, left the keys in the ignition and was using his body as a shield to provide as much privacy as he could to Azucena. Malia and Danny flanked each of her sides as they walked through the emergency entrance of the hospital. When they reached an exam room, Malia looked up at Danny, "Thank you Danny."

Danny understood that he was being dismissed. He turned around and saw Chin standing at the end of the hallway. They walked towards each other, Chin giving Danny his keys. "Looks bad, brah."

"He roughed her up pretty bad." Danny answered, "I don't know how far he got, but it's bad."

"Any idea who he is?"

"I think she knew him but she didn't say his name." At that moment his phone rang, it was Steve. He was dreading answering the call, but he wasn't going to make his best friend wait. He answered the phone, "Steve."

"How bad is she?" were the first words out of Steve's mouth.

"She's conscious, she's exhibiting signs of shock. Looks like she might have a broken wrist, black eye and a lot of bruising. Anything else is just guessing on my part and I won't do that to you. She's in with Malia now."

"Do we know what happened?"

"Man walking past an alley heard a commotion, went to check it out and found a man assaulting her. When I got there, she kept saying 'He's here.'"

"Jesus." Responded Steve. He was terrified to ask the question, but he needed to know, "Danny . . . did he . . ."

He couldn't finish the sentence. He couldn't bring himself to say it. Danny knew what he was asking, "I don't know. She didn't say. Her clothes are shredded Steve. He had completely ripped her shirt open and her skirt was ripped all the way up to the waistband. She was huddled into a corner when I got there. She wouldn't let anyone touch her and it took her a few minutes to register that it was me. She wanted to go home and shower. I convinced her to go to the hospital and we would see Malia."

"Danny, get on the phone with Duke. The man we are looking for is named Frank Woods, he's former Denver PD. I'll be there in three minutes." He paused, "And Danny, thank you."

"No problem, I'll call Duke right now." With that he hung up and called Duke.


	92. Chapter 92: Where Is She?

**Trigger Warning – Please be forewarned.**

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Steve ran through the corridors of the hospital, looking for Danny. His heart was racing, and he could feel his hands shaking. He really wasn't certain what he was going to find and if he was honest with himself, he was terrified. His sister had been through more than her share of horror and to find out that something had happened to her when he was off on Reserves just ate away at him.

The fact that it was Woods was even worse. They had known Woods had been released from prison, but Steve figured there wasn't much of a chance Woods would come all the way to Hawaii and attack her. He assumed he would get out of prison and find work. Apparently, revenge was high on the man's list of things to do.

He found Danny and Chin standing outside an exam room off the emergency department. Steve was panicked, "Where is she?"

"She's in there with Malia, Joymesa, and Officer Torres." Answered Danny.

"What do we know?" Steve asked.

"They haven't come out yet." Answered Chin.

"Duke put out an APB on Frank Woods. He's going to let us know the minute they find him." Offered Danny. He knew Steve was scared and didn't handle waiting very well. That information was the only thing he could provide his best friend.

Steve leaned against the wall and looked up, "I shouldn't have done Reserves this week."

"You didn't know this was going to happen, brah." Responded Chin, trying to comfort his boss and friend.

Steve paced the hallway, Chin continued to lean against the wall, and Danny squatted near the floor next to Chin. They were all in their own personal hell. After 45 minutes had passed, Malia opened the door. She stepped out into the hallway and walked over to Steve. She stopped him before he could say anything, "Walk with me."

He followed Malia down the hall and into an empty exam room. She could see how terrified he was. This man, who towered over her, looked like he could be knocked over with a feather. "She said he didn't rape her this time. She said she fought back against him, but he was stronger than her. He ripped her clothes, she has a hairline fracture in her wrist, a gash above her left eye, bruising and scratches all over her body, and she has hand shaped bruises on her neck. She said if it hadn't been for the stranger, he would have done it again."

"Do you believe her?"

"She's terrified; but yes, I believe her."

"What do we do?" asked Steve.

"We have processed all of her clothes according to SART procedure. I have placed her wrist in a brace, Joymesa is finishing cleaning the cuts to her face, and right before I left, she turned down pain medicine and anti-anxiety medicine. We can release her tonight. I'm going to send her home with a prescription of both the medicines she turned down. I know she struggles with medicine and control, but she's going to be in a lot of pain when the shock wears off. She is going to need the medicines."

"I understand," Steve nodded, "I'll do anything I can to help her."

"I think it would be a good idea to get her to a counselor. I don't know if she ever got over the first attack, but this is bound to bring back some horrible memories. She's going to need a healthy way to process everything. She's worried about how you are going to handle this. She's afraid you are going to be angry."

"I'm not angry with her." Steve blurted out.

"I know you aren't. You're worried, scared and concerned about her. You're angry at the man who has hurt her multiple times." Malia paused, "You're one of the few people she has Steve and she is terrified to disappoint you or lose you. You are one of the most patient men I have met; you're going to do just fine."

"Can I see her?"

"Yes, I'll let you see her right now. Do you have a go bag on you?"

"No, but Danny keeps one of mine in his car."

"Does it have sweats or loose clothing in it?"

"I think it has a pair of gym shorts and a t shirt in it."

"Good, I have nothing other than the hospital issued SART jumpsuit and I don't have it in me to send her home in that." She said as she opened the door to the room. They walked down the hall together and back towards the room. Danny and Chin stood there, Malia looked to Danny, "Will you get Steve's go bag from your car?"

Danny was relieved to have something to do. Action at this point in time was more desirable than standing around, "On it."

Malia softly knocked on the door and opened it to allow Steve to enter. Officer Torres had left while Malia was briefing Steve. Joymesa had finished with the cuts and was staying busy to be in the room with the young woman. She silently excused herself.

His sister sat on the exam table in an oversized gown, trying to be as small as humanly possible. He could see the bruises on her neck, arms, and legs; it ate him alive that someone could do that to her. He didn't have a complete view of the black eye, as her gaze was downcast. He could read from her body language she was humiliated and ashamed.

He walked towards the table and she spoke up before he could figure out what to say, "I'm sorry you had to come and get me."

"You have nothing to apologize for." He paused, he wasn't ready to admit how scared he was. He lowered himself onto the stool in front of her. She had just experienced something truly traumatic and was trying to be brave. He needed to be honest with her, "I'm scared as hell."

She glanced at him and quickly looked away. There was too much emotion in her person and the attack was so personal she couldn't keep eye contact with him.

He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he didn't want to overwhelm her. "You are one of the bravest, strongest people I know, Azucena. You've lost so many people and survived truly terrible things, but you always pick yourself up and you keep moving forward. You amaze me and I don't know how to help."

"I don't feel very brave right now." She answered sheepishly, emotion creeping into her voice the longer she spoke. "I want to throw up. I want to take a shower and wash him off me. I want to curl up under a blanket and shut out the entire world. I just want to be invisible."

"I'm so sorry this happened to you."

"It's not your fault." She wiped the stray tear from her cheek. She was working hard to lock down the tears and keep herself from losing control.

"It's not your fault either. Can you tell me about it?" He asked, softly. They had always talked about everything and he felt like he might be pushing his luck in this instance, but he also wanted to give her the opportunity to talk, if she was ready.

She shook her head no, "I wanna go home."

"We can go home." He said, nodding his head. He would do anything for his little sister. If she wanted to go home tonight and shut out the world, he would do everything in his power to make that happen. "I have a spare go bag in Danny's car. It has gym shorts and a t-shirt. You can change into that and Danny will give us a ride home. That ok?"

She just nodded her head yes. Steve stood up from the stool and ambled over to the door, poking his head out, Danny handed him the bag. Steve turned back into the room and pulled out a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt. He walked over to her, "You need help, or you want me to step outside?"

"Give me a few minutes."

"You got it." He turned and walked into the hallway. Chin gave Steve his sympathies for the events of the evening and disappeared before she exited the room. He wanted to give her the privacy she deserved. Danny and Steve leaned against the wall as they waited for her, "Duke has a patrol car stationed on your house until we find this guy."

"Thanks Danny."

When she appeared, she looked tiny and lost, compared to the vibrant and spunky sister he knew. Steve stood up straight, "Let's go home."

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Danny pulled into the driveway of the McGarrett house; Steve climbed out of the car, pulled the seat forward and helped Azucena from the vehicle. She walked towards the porch as Steve leaned down, "Thanks Danny."

"Just take care of her." Responded Danny.

"Will do Buddy."

Danny backed out of the driveway, as Steve unlocked the house. He held the door open and allowed her to pass through. Neither of them was prepared for Mary, "What the hell happened to you?"

She was up and around the sofa before either of them realized she was home. The panic that spread across Azucena's face gutted Steve. He stepped between the two women, not because he was worried they would fight, but he didn't want Mary to further overwhelm Azucena. Steve held his hand up towards Mary, telling her to give them a minute. He turned to Azucena, "Go take a shower, I'll tell Mary."

"Thanks." She answered, her voice the quietest he had ever heard her speak.

"You need anything?"

She didn't say anything; shook her head no and climbed the stairs. He heard her walk to the main bathroom on the second floor and close the door. He sat down on the bottom step, placed his face in his hands, and listened to her movements.

"What the hell is going on?" Mary asked, after Steve turned his attention to his other sister.

"When 'Cena was sixteen, she was walking home from work one night and she was attacked. The man pulled her into an ally, threw her on the ground, and raped her."

"My God." Whispered Mary, horror and dismay painted her face.

"She didn't tell you because she didn't want anyone to know. The only reason I know is because the guy was released from prison in March and she took it pretty hard."

"I can understand that."

"He apparently found her and attacked her tonight."

"Did he do it again?" Mary couldn't bring herself to say the word rape. Not when it pertained to someone she knew and loved.

"She said he didn't, but the damage he inflicted on her was pretty personal. There was a man who heard the commotion and if he hadn't have stepped in, I think he would have done it again."

"God, she must be terrified." Observed Mary.

"She's pretty shattered at the moment, so let's make sure we give her some space."

"Did they arrest him?"

"He ran off before the cops arrived, he's still out there." Steve reflected, and then looked to Mary, "There's an officer watching the house until they catch him."

"Does she know that?"

"I haven't said anything, but I probably should."

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She turned the light on in the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She saw for the first time the damage he had inflicted on her body. Her eye was nearly swollen shut and definitely shrouded in dark bruising. Her lip was double the size it would normally be and the hand shaped bruising on her neck made her sick to her stomach.

She removed the t-shirt and saw the scratches that ran the length of her torso. She saw the bruises forming where he landed a few hits on her ribs as they fought, the fingerprint bruise where he grabbed at her breasts, and the giant bruise across her torso where he threw her sideways into the dumpster. She removed the gym shorts and saw the scratch marks on her thighs and the beginning of bruises forming. The nausea was growing stronger; she couldn't keep looking at everything.

Using her good hand, she removed the hard, Velcro brace around her right wrist. She stood near the shower and turned it to the hottest possible spray her body could handle. She climbed under it and let the hot water wash all the dirt and grime off her body. She tried to let it wash away all the memories of the evening, but they crept over her and the tears started.

She didn't know how much time had passed as the water sprayed her body, but the gentle knocking at the door pulled her back to time and place. "You okay in there?"

She turned off the now cold water, "Yeah, I'll be out in a minute."

Pulling the shower curtain back, she grabbed her towel and using her good hand, ran it through her hair. She ran the towel over her body and then grabbed her bathrobe from the back of the door. She tied it around her person. She couldn't bring herself to look in the mirror. She hung the towel back up, grabbed her wrist brace, and exited the bathroom.

She walked directly to her room and changed into long pajama pants and a long sleeve t-shirt. These were sleeping clothes she would have worn in the winter back home, not a balmy, fall Hawaiian night. She wanted to cover up all the reminders of the events of the evening. She was so upset and, in such pain, she didn't bother to comb out her wet hair. Leaving the bedroom lights on, she curled up in her blanket and tried to shut out the entire world.

Her focus on shutting everything out was interrupted by a soft knock on her door. Steve's voice was hesitant, "'Cena, can I come in?"

He heard her shuffle around, and then the softest response through door, "It's unlocked."

He found her leaning against the headboard of her bed, a long sleeve t-shirt covering most of her bodily injuries. Her face looked like she'd been in a bar fight, the swelling of her eye was terrible, and her lip wasn't faring much better.

"Mary thought you might want an ice pack for your eye, and I brought up the medicine Malia prescribed, in case you wanted some." He said, walking towards her bed and slowly lowering himself down on the edge.

"Tell Mary thanks for the ice pack."

"Pain medicine?"

She shook her head no. Her body was in absolute agony from the beating it had taken, but she couldn't imagine taking anything that would take away her sense of control right now. She couldn't let go of the small bit she had.

"Want some plain old Ibuprofen?" Pulling the small bottle out of his cargo pocket.

"Yes please." She acquiesced to some form of pain reliever. Steve knew she would at least take that for the pain, but he started with the stronger stuff, on the off chance that she would take it.

He handed her the pills, and watched as she chased them with the bottle of water he had brought with him. She placed the half empty water bottle on her nightstand, and he handed her the ice pack.

"There's a cop watching the house, the security system is on, and all the windows are locked."

She knew he was trying to make her feel safe and she appreciated it. "Thank you for everything tonight. I know this hasn't been an easy night for you."

"I'm worried about you."

"I'm alive." She left it at that, she couldn't honestly say she was happy about that at the moment. The pain and humiliation she was experiencing made her want to disappear into a dark cave and never come out.

"You need anything?" he asked, wanting more than anything in the world to fix this entire night for her. Rewind it so it never happened. He knew she was probably feeling the same way he was, if not more so.

"Nah, I just want to crawl under the covers and hide."

"I know your phone is evidence from the crime scene. You can borrow my phone if you want to call Tommy and talk to him." he offered.

"Thanks, but I'm not calling him until they catch him." She answered, she had made her mind up on the car drive home from the hospital.

"Are you sure?"

"The only thing telling Tommy will do is make him worry and want to be here. He can't fly out and it doesn't fix the situation. I can't do that to him."

"You know, it's okay to be selfish in this instance. You don't have to make this okay for everyone else." He told her, concern in his voice. He knew she was going to do this. He realized it in the hospital room when she let the one tear slip down her cheek; she was already shutting down all her emotions and trying to make it better for everyone else.

"I'll be fine." She answered, her voice lacking any sense of reassurance. She glanced over at her alarm clock, _1:00_. "It's late, you should get some sleep."

He knew she was dismissing him, in a polite manner. He stood, "Need anything?"

She shook her head no, "Door open or closed?

"Closed please." She answered, and his hand reached for the light switch, but she interrupted his actions, "Can you leave the light on, please?"

"Sure." He said, understanding that was one way to keep the monster away for tonight. "Night kiddo."

"Night Steve."


	93. Chapter 93: The Next Morning

**Trigger Warning – Please be forewarned.**

 **Additionally, please disregard the random line at the bottom of this chapter. Currently fighting format issues with my computer and this just won't go away. Thanks! ~Avy73**

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She lay in bed and stared at the alarm clock as the minutes ticked past. There wasn't a chance her body was going to sleep, as exhausted as she was physically, her brain wouldn't let her relax. There were the constant concerns flashing through her mind. Was he outside the house? Was he doing this to someone else? Was it him this past weekend when she felt like someone was watching her? Have they caught him?

Her mind was a buzz of activity and she honestly preferred it over the nightmares she knew would invade her dreams if she allowed herself to drift off. Eventually, her body involuntarily shut down and her dreams were dark and violent. She relived the attack in her dreams, and she fought against him; but it didn't matter, he was still there. He was still touching her, squeezing her breasts, pulling her hair, ripping her clothes, throwing her against the dumpster, and saying things that made her skin crawl.

Her eyes flew open and all she saw was her bedroom. She felt the tightness of her throat and the tears burning behind her eyes. She reached for the bottle of water and felt every single bruise and blow from the events of yesterday. She took a sip of the water and focused her mind to push the tears back. Crying wasn't going to make things better.

She looked over at the alarm clock, _5:45_. She was surprised she had slept, but she didn't feel at all rested or better. If anything, her body hurt worse than yesterday; and mentally, she was exhausted. She sat up in bed and debated whether to leave her room or remain curled up under the covers. She really didn't want to face Steve and Mary. The knowing looks on their faces would be mortifying. It was one thing to talk about it in the past, but to have to go through this and have them know what happened then and now was too much to deal with.

She curled up on her good side and pulled the duvet up over her shoulders. She wasn't ready to deal with anyone, she lay in bed and wished she were somewhere else. Somewhere safe and warm with Tommy. Somewhere she didn't have to look over her shoulder for monsters. She wished she were anywhere but here.

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Steve tossed and turned all night long, waiting for the inevitable scream that would tear through the house. The sound of unadulterated fear that would strike him to his core, but the sound never came. When he awoke the next morning, he wondered if she had slept at all. He hadn't slept very well.

He knew there was a cop sitting in front of the house, but he couldn't bring himself to leave his two sisters alone in their house with a rapist on the loose. His morning swim and run were out of the question, so he headed downstairs to make coffee. The minute he stepped out of his bedroom, he looked at her bedroom door. It was still closed, but he could see her bedroom light was still on. She had slept with the light on, if she had slept at all. This was a whole different level of fear, WoFat didn't have the power to make her sleep with the light on.

Steve sat at the island, reading the paper as he drank his coffee. It was seven when Mary wandered downstairs in her pajamas, "Morning."

"Morning, how'd you sleep?" asked Steve, taking in the sight of his sister and the dark circles under her eyes. He guessed her night was as rough as his.

"Terrible," she said, and then she began to whisper, "I just kept thinking about everything you told me and how she looked last night, and I can't imagine what she's going though. What about you?"

Steve understood Mary's need to whisper. She didn't want to upset Azucena, but she was struggling with how to discuss everything. Steve felt the exact same way, "I didn't fare much better."

"So what do we do about it?" she asked, as she poured herself a cup of coffee and leaned back against the kitchen counter.

"There's not much we can do. We just support her through this entire ordeal. If you and I are this uncomfortable about the whole thing, you can only imagine it's one hundred percent worse for her."

"I can't wrap my head around it." Mary said, looking into her coffee. They both heard the opening of her bedroom door at the same time and looked at each other with a deer in headlights stare. Then there was the sound of the bathroom door closing and the shower running. Steve wasn't at all surprised that she took another shower. He remembered the day Woods was released from prison and how she had rubbed her skin raw. He wouldn't be surprised if today would be a repeat of that day.

Mary poured herself more coffee, snagged her corner of the sofa, and turned on the news. The news had hit the weather report when there was the soft sound of feet on the stairs, Mary looked up. Azucena looked worse than the night before, her eye was so swollen Mary would have been shocked if she could see anything out of it. Her sister looked much paler than usual. She looked, for lack of a better word, fragile.

Mary spoke up, "Wanna watch a movie?"

Azucena paused on the last two steps. Mary's reaction wasn't what she was expecting, but she knew what Mary was doing and she appreciated it. "What are you thinking?"

"Well, there were two shows I recorded while I was working this week, _It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown_ or _Dirty Dancing_."

"Peanuts, but let me make a cup of tea first." Azucena said, and tried to smile. Smiling hurt more than she realized. She walked into the kitchen to find Steve at the island. She filled the electric kettle and could feel his eyes on her back.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked, as she turned on the electric kettle. He took in her appearance, same light gray pants she had worn home from the hospital and a different long-sleeved shirt. This one didn't do as good of a job hiding the bruising around her neck and the finger marks down her chest. He knew she was trying to hide as much of the evidence as possible. She didn't want to see it and he knew she didn't want him and Mary to see it.

"Not sure I actually did." She answered, she remembered seeing her alarm clock say 3:30, so waking up at 5:45 meant she might have gotten two hours of sleep.

"How do you feel?" he asked, patiently. He knew this was incredibly awkward for her, but he didn't want her to feel like she couldn't talk to anyone. He wanted her to know he was there for her.

"Like I was hit by a Mach truck." She answered, finally ready to face him. She turned around and when she managed to look him in the eye, she could see the concern and rage in his eyes. He stood up from the island and walked towards her. He slowly raised his hand up towards her face, but he knew better than to lift her chin. He gently placed his hand on the non-bruised side of her face and closely inspected her eye and cut lip.

She tried so hard to be still under his gaze, but she couldn't handle it and she turned her face away, "Have they found him yet?"

"Not yet, but Duke said he would call me the minute they did." He said, watching her movements. She continued to avoid eye contact with him, and it made him want to murder the man now more than ever. She appeared so lost and detached. She was a completely different person than the sister he knew. Even when she was recovering from the WoFat attacks, she could look at him. She didn't always maintain eye contact during the bad parts of conversations, but this was a whole new level of avoidance.

The kettle whistled, and he watched as she placed the teabag in her tall, ceramic mug and let it steep. Steve figured now was the best time to tell her, rip the Band-Aid off, "Officer Torres called me last night. She said they need you to come down to the station today and give a full report of what happened."

Her shoulders dropped, she thought she remembered something like that from last night, but everything at the hospital was a blur. "I told them everything last night."

"You were in shock last night. They have to have a statement from you when your faculties aren't impaired."

"Did she tell you everything?"

"She told me what happened." He answered, keeping is voice soft and calm.

"I fought so hard, Steve!" she was beginning to crumble. Two tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I know you did. I've sparred with you and you are stronger than most people realize."

"I'm no match for an ex-con who spent three years in the prison gym."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. What happened three years ago and what happened last night are not your fault."

"How come it feels like my fault? I'm mortified by all of it." She stated, trying to pull back the tears.

"You don't have to be embarrassed with me and Mary. We aren't judging you." Steve responded, and his attention was pulled to the front door. There was the sound of a key in the lock and someone fiddling with the door. Azucena and Steve both looked towards the door, honestly expecting it to be Danny. He had a key and randomly used it from time to time, but they were surprised to find Doris standing in the entryway with a vase of red roses in her hand.

"Morning." She said, looking towards Mary in the living room. Mary was on her feet in an instant, surprised that their mother had barged in, but realizing with the events of the night before she forgot about brunch with her mother. Doris realized her other children were in the kitchen and zeroed in on Azucenca's appearance, "Dear God, what happened to you?"

Azucena looked to the sky and wished she could be swallowed whole by the earth at this very moment. She saw Doris quickly approaching the kitchen and she had to remind herself to breath. This must be what hell felt like, she thought as she tried to remind herself to calm down. She didn't have to tell Doris anything, and if she told her anything it didn't have to be everything. Doris reached the island and set the vase of flowers down, Steve stood at the end of the island, acting as a barrier, even though the island was the physical barrier between the two women, "What are you doing here Doris?"

"Mary and I had plans to go to brunch. I was early and assumed she was still in the shower. What happened to you?" she asked, as she tore her attention away from Steve and focused on Azucena.

"Bad night." Answered Azucena, and she left it at that.

"Bad night doesn't even begin to cover the fat lip, let alone a black eye so swollen I can barely see your eyeball. Someone must have sent the flowers as a get well." She slid the vase of flowers over to Azucena. "The delivery man was walking up the driveway the same time I was. I signed for them for you."

Steve and Azucena couldn't imagine who would have sent flowers. It would have been a nice gesture from his teammates, but he didn't expect them to do something like this. Azucena hesitantly reach for the card tucked amongst the flowers and opened the envelop. The instant she read the card, she knew who the flowers were from.

 _See you soon, lover._ Her heart pounded in her chest and she could feel her empty stomach beginning to churn. She dropped the card on the island as if it had burned her and made a mad dash for the bathroom. She slammed the door shut and emptied her stomach contents into the toilet. She hadn't eaten in well over fifteen hours, but that didn't keep her stomach bile from expelling itself from her body. She wasn't certain where the tears came from, but she couldn't turn them off.

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Steve knew it was going to be bad. Using his fingernail, he flipped the card open and read the words, _See you soon, lover._ Now the bastard was tormenting her. He rushed past Doris and Mary, who was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He pulled open the front door and gestured for the cops watching their house to come in. The officers were quickly out of the car and running up the driveway.

Steve explained everything to them and directed them into the house. "Doris, this gentleman is going to ask you some questions."

One of the officers began questioning Doris about the flowers and what shop they were delivered from. The other officer called in and requested someone come pick up the flowers and take them in as evidence. All the while Steve grabbed a cup of water and a bottle of water from the fridge. He walked down the hallway and knocked on the bathroom door, "'Cena, can I come in?"

She flushed the toilet, getting rid of the evidence. She weighed her options, but she knew she was going to have to face Steve and deal with this debacle eventually. She tried to wipe the tears from her face, "Only you."

"It's just me. No one else." He turned the handle to the bathroom door and slowly entered the small bathroom. Steve took in the sight of his sister, she had curled herself into a small ball of human. He wasn't certain how she did it, but every time Woods surfaced in conversation or real life, he was reminded of how small she could make herself.

He sat down on the floor and leaned his back against the wall. He placed the bottle of water on the floor beside him and while holding the cup of water, he waited patiently.

She heard him settle on the floor behind her. She knew she was safe, but it didn't stop the feelings of terror and shame that passed through her. Then she could feel the bile rising again, she wasn't certain there was anything left in her stomach, but much to her chagrin more of her stomach contents were emptied into the toilet bowl. She reached up and flushed the vomit away. She rested her head on her arm. She heard him quietly ask, "Think that is the last of it?"

"Nope." She answered, as another round rose forth and emptied into the toilet. She didn't know when they had arrived, but the tears were back and streaked down her cheeks as she flushed the toilet again. Steve leaned forward and handed her the plastic cup, "Use this to rinse your mouth."

She took a pull from the plastic cup and swished the water around her mouth. She spit it into the toilet, she repeated a few more times, until the plastic cup was empty. She flushed the toilet once more.

She was frustrated because the tears hadn't stopped. She wiped at them violently. They kept rolling down her cheeks. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. She stared at the side of the vanity, he knew this was costing her a great deal of embarrassment, "He's taunting me."

"Yes, he is." He answered solemnly. He watched as her shoulders slowly started to shake and her breathing became erratic. Her hands flew to her face and she started sobbing, "It never stops. I need it to stop."

Then she turned around, avoiding all eye contact. She could see he had opened his arms to her, and she launched herself into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shaking torso, and softly rubbed her back and ran his fingers through her hair, while she fell apart in his arms. Internally he was seething with rage, "I've got you, let it all out."

He hadn't noticed how much time had passed; he had only paid attention to her breathing. The sobbing had stopped and now she just clung to his chest. He knew her pattern. She would cling to him for another few minutes while she asked questions she couldn't ask to his face.

The first question was asked so softly, he almost didn't hear it. "Is she still here?"

He understood she was talking about Doris. They had never told Doris any of this part of Azucena's past. Very few people knew, and he knew she preferred to keep it that way. He leaned his face down closer to hers and answered softly, "Yeah, she is giving a statement to the officer about the flower delivery."

"Can we make her go away?" she asked, he knew that she wasn't trying to be hurtful. Her life was really complicated at this moment and he knew she didn't want Doris involved. He continued to run his fingers through her hair, "Probably not."

She quickly changed tack, "I hate him so much! I hate him more than WoFat."

Steve decided it would be a good idea to give her a reassuring answer, "I hate him too. When we catch him, he is going back to prison."

"So he can get out in two years and do this again?" her voice squeaked as she expressed her fear and disappointment. "He's gonna do it again Steve. He blames me for him ending up in prison and he said he would make me pay for what I did to him."

Officer Torres hadn't shared this part of the previous night with him, but then again, he wasn't certain if Azucena had told this to Officer Torres. This was part of filing a report without impaired faculties. He wasn't even certain if Azucena remembered everything from last night. He switched his focus back to his sister's words, "I'm not going to let that happen to you."


	94. Chapter 94: Unexpected Visitor

**To those that continue to read, thank you so much! To those that leave notes, you have no idea how much those mean to me. I truly appreciate everyone who reads this story. I know it's dark right now, but there will be happiness in everyone's future. Thanks! ~Avy73**

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"I'm not going to let that happen to you."

"You can't go after him Steve." She pulled back and looked her brother in the eye. She knew he was angry, she had seen it in his eyes when they talked this morning and she saw it in his eyes the previous evening. It was a rage she had seen before, but not this intensity.

"I'm here, I'm not going after him." Steve reassured her.

"No, I mean when they catch him. You can't do anything that would jeopardize your career or this case."

"I'm not going to do anything to him. He is going to end up in prison, but this time he will end up in general population."

She eyed him, "I don't understand what that means."

Steve began to explain but was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. He glanced at his watch, and Azucena almost went into a panic at the thought of more people invading the house, "When did this house turn into Grand Central Station?"

"It's okay. Mary can get the door, we won't leave here until you're ready." He reassured his sister, but he knew who was at the door. The person at the door wasn't going to be able to fix anything, but he was going to make things a little easier for everyone.

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Doris opened the door to a tall, lanky man with brown hair. He carried himself in an established manner, "Can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Red." Tommy eyed the older woman, and realized this had to be Red's mom, "You must be Ms. Santiago or Ms. McGarrett?"

"And you are?" Doris questioned him, knowing exactly who he was from the picture on Azucena's nightstand.

"Tommy Roberts." He extended his hand to Doris. Mary had observed everything from the living room and realized Doris was going to make things complicated, so she rushed to the door. She pulled the door open wider, "Please come in Tommy, I'm Mary."

"Red and Steve's sister. I've heard a lot about you." He said smiling, as he walked into the house. Doris was making herself a complete nuisance, but Tommy ignored the behavior. He had heard all the stories from Red and he figured it was best to just kill her with kindness. If anything, she would look rude.

He looked to Mary, "Is Red around?"

"Yeah, let me go get her." Offered Mary. Tommy placed his bag next to the sidebar, stood in the living room, and waited through the awkwardness of conversation with Doris, "So, you're here because of what happened last night."

Tommy wasn't certain how much Doris knew, so he thought it best to keep everything high level. He had been with Red after the initial incident, he wasn't about to share any of her secrets with Doris, "Yes ma'am."

He heard Mary knock on the bathroom door and announce he was standing in the living room. It wasn't two seconds later that the bathroom door opened and his redheaded girlfriend appeared in the hallway. He took in the sight of her black eye and busted lip. He knew beneath the clothes there would be more wounds, but the only thing he cared about was making sure she was okay. He knew things were bad when the first words out of her mouth were, "Please tell me you're real."

He walked towards her, and knowing she would be sore and hesitant, he stopped right in front of her, "I'm here, I'm real."

Before he could blink, her arms were wrapped around his torso and he was holding her, "Oh God, oh God, he's here Tommy. He's here."

"I know Baby, I know. Steve called me last night. Jumped on the first plane I could." He gently ran his hand down her loose hair, as he held her. He could hear the terror in her voice. "I'm here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Steve ushered Mary and Doris out onto the lanai. Tommy appreciated the moment of privacy, he knew she was going to be more open with him than with anyone else. He slowly let go of her and pulled back to get a full view of her injuries. "How bad did he hurt you?"

"Bruises and cuts, not like last time." She answered softly. He knew what she was saying without saying it, but her face made the bruises and cuts feel like an understatement.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" he asked, as he brushed hair from her face and inspected the black eye. She didn't squirm under his gaze, like she did with Steve earlier in the morning. Tommy had been with her through this the last time. As embarrassing as everything was, she was completely comfortable with him, "Two hours."

"Everything hurt?"

"Yeah." She said, knowing where he was going with this. As much as she didn't want to give up the control she had, she knew she could with him here. She knew the nightmares would come if she took the medicine, but he would be there to make sure the world didn't fall apart.

"Let's take the painkiller and get some rest." He said, as he held his hand out for her hand.

"You'll be here?" she asked, working to remind herself that he was real. He wasn't a figment of her imagination. She had wanted him here so bad, and in this moment, she was thankful for her brother's meddling.

"I'll hold you the whole time." He assured her, knowing she was afraid of the dreams that would inevitably come. They walked into the kitchen and he pulled out a glass and filled it with water while she took one of the painkillers from the vial. He knew her and he knew she hadn't eaten anything since it happened, "Have you eaten anything?"

She shook her head no and reached for a banana. It was probably the only thing she could stomach after the flower debacle. Tommy held her hand as she downed the banana and the pain pill. When she was done, he ran his other hand gently over the side of her face that wasn't battered, "Go put your jammies on, I'll be up in a minute."

"Promise?" she asked, still questioning if he was real.

"I promise." He said, as he brushed her cheekbone with is thumb. She leaned into his hand and closed her eyes. She inhaled his smell and decided he was real. Real enough to go upstairs and try to get some sleep.

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"What is going on?" questioned a frustrated Doris, as Steve and Mary ushered her out onto the lanai. The three of them walked down to the water, Mary letting Steve decide how much to share. As they walked, Steve spoke up, "'Cena was attacked a few years back. The guy who did it is out on parole and managed to travel out here and attack her last night."

"What?" questioned Doris, and then the parental concern came out in full force. "How bad was it?"

"Enough to send him to jail for five years, but he got out in three." Steve paused, rubbing the back of his neck. The last fifteen hours had been stressful for him, "Last night was pretty bad, so I called Tommy. He helped her through the first attack, I figured he would be a better support system for the next few days than either Mary and I can be. He knows her better than we do."

"The flowers?" questioned Doris, knowing the answer as she asked the question.

"They're from the guy who attacked her." Supplied Steve.

"What did the card say?"

"Doesn't matter, what matters is that we support her through this. If that is something you can't do, you need to go and not come back for a while. She has a long road ahead of her." Answered Steve, the protective big brother in him coming out.

"No, I can be supportive." Doris said, wrapping her head around everything. She was connecting the dots; most people don't go to jail for five years for physical assault. Suddenly Doris was regretting most of the things she had said to her daughter a few months back.

Steve's attention was pulled away from Doris and Mary when he heard the back door open. Tommy was stepping out onto the lanai alone. Steve looked to Doris and Mary, "I'll be right back."

Tommy met Steve in the yard, "She got two hours of sleep last night. I got her to eat a banana and take one of the pain pills. She needs to sleep and rest. After that, she will probably be up for meeting with the cops, but we haven't talked about it. I really want her to get some rest. If she doesn't sleep soon, things are going to get worse."

"I trust you man. That's why I called you. You know her better, so I'm going to defer to you in this instance."

"Thanks for calling." Tommy said, sincerely thankful he was here to help her. The first time had been horrible for her. He hoped to make things a little easier this time.

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After she brushed her teeth, she stood in her room and pulled on her pajama pants and long-sleeved shirt. As much as she wanted to put on her shorts and tank top, she couldn't bring herself to look at the bruises. They were too much, and she didn't want Tommy to see everything. He would have the anger and rage, just like Steve. She understood the fact that they were both upset, but she needed someone to be calm and collected.

She sat on the edge of her bed and waited, she honestly didn't want to sleep. She knew the nightmares would come, but she also knew she needed the rest. Her body was exhausted, and she wasn't going to be able to push through the fatigue for too much longer. She heard a soft knock at the door, "It's open."

Tommy walked in and placed his backpack on the chair that sat near the door. He took in the sight of her, and he could read the exhaustion across her features. "How ya' feeling?"

"Tired and in pain." She answered in complete honesty. With Tommy she didn't hide anything. She didn't have to make things less than they were, not that she did with Steve, but she wasn't as embarrassed about everything.

Tommy toed his shoes off and walked towards the bed, "Come on, let's get some sleep."

"Aren't you going to be bored, laying here while I sleep?" she questioned, as he lay down on her bed, and she curled up into his shoulder. Her arm draped across his chest, and she listened to his voice, "Not in the least, I've been up all night. It's five am back in Japan and I didn't sleep at all on the flight over. I was worried about you."

"Thanks for coming."

"Steve was worried about you and he said he wasn't certain how to help you." Confessed Tommy, as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"He would have done fine." She answered, and then corrected herself. "He was doing fine, but it helps to have you here."

"You weren't going to tell me until they caught him?" he questioned, it was a simple inquiry. Nothing pointed, just curiosity.

"I didn't want you to worry. You were an ocean away and I didn't think you could get away. I don't want to keep taking up your time off."

"I think about you every day. Spending my time off with you is the best thing in the world to me. I wish this time were under better circumstances, but I need to be here."

"Thanks for coming." She said, as she closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat through his chest. The rhythmic beating of his heart and his hand in her hair quickly lulled her to sleep. As he held her, he thought back through all their adventures, the good and the bad, and realized there was no other person for him. He would travel to the ends of the earth for her, and in this moment, he was thankful for Steve's phone call.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve had just closed the door behind Doris and Mary, as they headed out for brunch. He had changed into his swim trunks to get a swim in now that Tommy was here. He felt better leaving her alone in the house with him. She was safe either way, but this gave him a stronger sense of security. As he walked down to the beach, there was a text message from Danny.

 _How's she doing? How are you holding up?_

Steve needed to vent, he needed to get some of this stuff off his chest. He threw his towel on one of the chairs and collapsed into the other, while he rang Danny.

There were only two rings before his partner's voice was on the other end of the line, "Steve."

"Danny." Steve responded back, it took him a minute before he was ready to continue. In that brief pause, Danny spoke up, "How's she doing?"

"It was a rough night for her and today started off pretty bad." Steve confessed, as he leaned forward in the chair and stared at the sand between his toes.

"I'm sorry to hear that. How are you holding up?"

"I panicked last night and called Tommy. He jumped on the first flight out here today, and all I can say is I'm so relieved he is here."

"I bet everyone is appreciating his presence at the moment."

"Did you hear about the flowers?"

"Duke called and told me. I thought it best to give you a little time before I called to check up on you guys."

"Danny, this guy is sick and twisted. When we catch him, and he goes back to prison, he going into general population. No more special security for him because he was a cop. I want everyone to know he is a rapist and a former cop. I want him to know what it feels like to feel helpless and fear for your life."

"I agree." Danny said, understanding the anger his friend was feeling. If Danny were being honest, he was feeling the same way.

"'Cena's worried I'm going to do something to jeopardize this case and my career."

"She's not the only one worried. Duke wants me to make sure you don't get involved in this case. Janeen Torres is working this case and I trust her. We have his picture plastered all over the media and all patrol units are keeping their eyes peeled for him. We are going to find him."

"I know, I trust Janeen too. We talked last night. She's good at her job. We're supposed to meet her at the station today, so 'Cena can give a formal statement."

"What time is that happening?" Danny asked, wanting to be there for his friends. If he had an idea of when that was going to happen, Danny would meet them there for moral support.

"I honestly don't know. Tommy's gotten her to take some pain medicine and sleep, so probably after that. But I'm not certain if she's ready or not."

"She'll do it on her timetable and Janeen knows that."

"I know, I just wish there was something I could do."

"You're doing it. You're being a good brother."

"I don't feel like that is enough." Steve answered, his voice defeated. "I should be out there looking for the guy."

"She needs your support. She doesn't need you running around trying to find the bad guy, worried that you're going to beat him to death. She needs to know you are going to be a pillar of strength when she's lost all control in her world."

"She lost it this morning Danny. WoFat has caused a lot of melt downs, but nothing like this morning and those damn flowers."

"He's a sick son of a bitch."

"That's putting it mildly." Steve added, and then decided he needed to get his swim in. "Look, Tommy's here so I'm going to take the opportunity to get a swim in."

"Swim to China and back, do whatever you need to do to get the anxiousness out of your system. You need to be at the house for the next few days. We've got things covered at the office."

"Thanks man."

"No problem, now go swim."


	95. Chapter 95: It Was A Puppy

**Trigger Warning – Please be forewarned.**

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 _She crossed the street from the bus stop and walked towards the restaurant. It was still early, but the sun was already setting. She thought how the sun sunk below the horizon early in fall, unlike spring and summer. As she walked down the sidewalk towards the restaurant, she heard a commotion, like the whimpering of a puppy. She knew better than to wander off the sidewalk and into a dark alley, but the puppy sounded hurt._

 _She pulled her cell phone from her purse and flicked on the flashlight feature. As she walked towards the sound of the puppy, she was stunned when she felt the strong arms wrap around her torso and over her mouth. In that instant, she knew what the outcome of the encounter would be. She began to struggle against him when he whispered in her ear, "Yeah baby, fight against me. I know you like it rough. Just like last time."_

 _She could feel the panic race through her body, as he threw her against the side of the dumpster. Her ribs smashed against the dumpster and the wind was knocked out of her. By the time she righted herself, he was up against her, pinning her against the dumpster, one of his hands squeezing her breast through her tank top, while the other started pulling at her clothes._

" _Stop it, get away from me!" she screamed in his face, as he continued to paw at her. He pulled his hand back and struck her across the face, all the while, holding onto her by her tank top. He ripped it open down the front, "Oh darlin', I'm going to make you cry out in pain when I'm through with you tonight."_

 _She kicked him in the groin and made a run for it, all the while screaming for help. She was close to the mouth of the alley, when he grabbed her skirt and stopped her in her tracks. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her up against him. Her feet weren't even touching the ground, he was so strong. She continued to scream, but he took his free hand and covered her mouth. She clawed at him, doing anything to get free._

" _No, no, no!"_

"Red, you're safe baby. He isn't here. We're at home, in your room." He spoke to her, as she fought against him in her sleep. He could feel her nails digging into him, he was thankful he had fallen asleep with a shirt on. Otherwise, he would have fingernail scratches down his chest. "Wake up for me. Come on and wake up now."

Eventually his voice penetrated the violent dream, and she surfaced from the nightmare softly begging, "No, no, no!"

The tears streaking down her face were a punch in the gut to him. He knew the agony behind those tears, and he held her, "Ssshhh, it's just a dream. You're safe."

She clung to him, her grip solid as granite, as she cried into his shoulder, "I've got you; you're safe."

He held her and whispered soothing words of comfort as she fought to find her footing in the real world. The nightmare had scared her to her core, and he could feel it in the constant shaking of her body. It took her a while, but she finally calmed herself. He continued to hold her, there were no words, just the sound of his heartbeat and his hands gently stroking her back and her long hair.

"It was a puppy." She offered, hoping he would understand what she was telling him.

"What was a puppy?" Turning over her words in his head.

"How he tricked me into the alley. I knew better than to go down a dark alley, but there was the sound of a puppy. It sounded like he was hurt. I turned on my flashlight, went into the alley, and he grabbed me from behind."

Tommy knew she wouldn't venture down an alley after dark without a reason. It seemed suspect that she could be grabbed in daylight, but the idea of a hurt puppy in an alley made complete sense. She wore her heart on her sleeve and an injured animal would be the one thing to get her into a dark alley. "You didn't know it was a trap. You thought it was a hurt animal. This isn't your fault."

"If I hadn't have gone down that alley, none of this would have happened. Steve wouldn't have had to leave his week of Reserves duty, you wouldn't have to fly over here for unplanned days off, and Mary and Claudia wouldn't know about Woods."

His heart broke for her, she was absorbing all the blame for the actions of an unhinged man. He worked hard to remain calm as he tried to get her to understand, "Red, he would have found another way to get you. He was already here, there is absolutely nothing you could have done to keep him from what he wanted to do."

He could hear the tears bubble to the surface, and he could feel her try and stifle them, "He said he was going to make me pay for sending him to jail. He was going to make me scream in pain."

He knew these words carried a fear he couldn't fully grasp. He knew they were horrible words that meant truly terrible things. However, the power and fear they carried for Azucena were incomprehensible. The only way he could slightly understand what she was going through is because of what she had been through before. Now this man was coming after her for revenge. He was so thankful Steve had called him. Red wasn't leaving his sight until the man was caught.

"The cops are going to find him. You know he can't hide forever. Besides, between Steve and myself, you think we are going to let you out of our sight?"

"I shouldn't have to live like this. I shouldn't have to have my boyfriend and my brother watching out for me. I shouldn't have to look over my shoulder for various monsters. I'm so strong and I fought so hard, but it didn't matter Tommy. He picked me up like a rag doll. He was gonna do it again." She had pushed herself up into a sitting position by the end of her frustrated confession. Her hair draped across her redden, tear stained face.

Tommy had sat up during her ranting. He took a moment to reach out and gently tucked a few strands of hair behind her ears, "Red, when they catch him, he's going to prison."

"For two more years. What happens when he is released after those two years? You think he's going to forget that I sent him to prison, not once, but twice?" The tears poured down her cheeks and he could read the absolute panic in her person.

"We can't think about that right now. The only thing we can do is focus on right here and right now. Right now, you're safe. Right now, we are in your room and the cops are looking for him. Right now, there is a SEAL downstairs that would do anything possible to protect you. Right now, I'm here to help you get through this. I want to fix this for you, but I can't, and that sucks so much."

He watched as her shoulders slumped in defeat. He knew she was terrified, and she had every right to be, but he and Steve were going to do everything they could to protect her. HPD was doing everything they could to catch him.

"Thank you." She said, quietly.

"There's no need to thank me for anything."

"You dropped everything and flew across an ocean to be with me. It means more than you can imagine."

"It's the least I can do." He said, as he softly squeezed her good hand. "You going to be okay for a little while? I haven't showered in over twenty-four hours and I'm feeling pretty grimy."

"Yeah, make yourself at home. You can use the shower up here." She said, standing up from her bed. "There's fresh towels in the closet in the bathroom and wash rags."

Tommy pulled out his toiletries and a change of clothes from his bag. He turned to her before exiting the room, "Sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She nodded, and he left to get cleaned up. She looked at herself in the bedroom mirror, the black eye was darker than last night, and her lip was still pretty puffy. The bruises on her neck were a deep purple, and the outline of his fingers were distinct. These sights caused her enough disgust that she couldn't even look at the rest of the marks on her body.

She wandered downstairs, through the living room and out the back door to the beach. She was feeling cooped up in the house, but there was another part of her that didn't feel safe outside. She couldn't decide where she wanted to be and feel safe, but the sound of the waves beckoned her. Before she realized it, she found herself slowly lowering herself into one of the chairs on the beach and watching the waves roll in.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve was cleaning his lunch plate in the kitchen when he heard footsteps on the stairs. He watched quietly as his sister disappeared out the back door. He was surprised she stepped foot outside, but he assumed she was becoming claustrophobic in the house. He was curious when that would start to get to her.

He knew she hadn't eaten anything more than a banana in the last eighteen hours, so he pulled out the ingredients for a sandwich. After assembling the sandwich, he wrapped it in a paper towel, grabbed a bottle of water and wandered down to the beach. As he wandered to the chairs, he could see how tiny she made herself. Her legs were pulled up under her arms and her head resting on the back of the chair. She couldn't have been comfortable with all the bruises covering her body, but she seemed glued to the chair.

He shuffled his feet, so as not to scare her; and when he reached the beach he stopped and handed her the sandwich wrapped in the paper towel. She glanced up at him and took the sandwich. Softly thanking him for it, as he set the bottle of water on the arm of the chair.

They were silent for a few minutes and she continued to stare out at the water. He spoke first, "Peanut butter and banana; figured you could use the protein."

"Thanks." She said again, as she continued to hold the sandwich in her hands. There was no movement on her part to eat.

"You get any sleep?"

"A few hours."

Steve decided to confess everything. He figured if he were honest with her, it might help her to be more comfortable. "I panicked last night. I didn't know how to help you, so I called Tommy. I know you didn't want him to know until they found him, but I couldn't watch you go through this and not have some form of support system."

"I had you," She responded softly, appreciating the fact that Steve called Tommy, "but thanks for calling him."

"You still in a lot of pain?" he questioned. She didn't verbalize her answer, she only nodded.

"I'm worried about you."

"I'll survive, it seems to be what I do." She said, fighting the anxiety in her chest and the nausea in her stomach.

"You up for going down to the station and talking to Officer Torres?" He asked, he didn't want to push her, but he did want to know how she felt about everything. She was quiet for a few moments and he wasn't certain if she was going to respond. "The sooner I do it, the sooner it's over."

"That's true." He said, trying to be reassuring without being pushy.

"Then everyone is going to know." She said, as she turned her head and looked at him, anguish clouding her eyes. Her past couldn't stay buried and it was eating away at her.

"Hey, no one is going to judge you." He answered quickly, maintaining eye contact with her. "What happened to you three years ago is one of the worst crimes we see. It wasn't your fault then and it isn't your fault now."

"Makes me want to throw up." Her gaze shifting to the sand.

"I can understand that."

She resigned herself to the fact that she was going to have to go down to the station and meet with Officer Torres. Might as well get it over with quickly, "Okay, we can go."

"Eat your sandwich first." He hadn't meant for it to come out as a command, but she needed to eat. He knew sleep and eating were going to be her major personal battles for the next few weeks and months. She didn't fight him on it, but she slowly picked at the sandwich. Tommy had joined them on the beach and finished his own sandwich before she had finished hers.


	96. Chapter 96: The Police Station

**Trigger Warning – Please be forewarned.**

 **Stephanie – I just want to take a moment to say thank you for your incredibly kind note on the last chapter. Your words were so important to me because I really didn't want this part of the story to come off cliché or patronizing. Thank you so much for your kind words.**

 **As for all the other guest readers and your notes, thank you so much! Your kind words mean the world to me and I truly appreciate each and every one!**

 **Thanks,  
Avy73**

 **#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#**

As they pulled into the parking lot of the police station, Steve watched his sister from the corner of his eye. He could read the apprehension in her body, debating whether she was truly ready to walk into the station and tell everything that happened. Tommy observed the same thing. He reached over the seat and softly placed his hand on her shoulder, "If you aren't ready to do this, you don't have to do it today."

She flinched slightly when he touched her, but it was more from surprise and not fear of Tommy. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I want to get it over with; I don't want to have to come back here."

"Fair enough." Responded Steve, as he pulled into a parking stall. He could understand her hesitation, but in the same breath, he could understand the desire to put it all behind her.

The three of them exited the truck and Tommy held her hand as they walked up the steps of the police station. The three cops exiting the building all nodded their heads at Steve, and Azucena did everything in her power to avoid eye contact. She felt like they knew everything that had happened to her, but in the same instance, she knew that her file was sealed. So, unless they had pulled Wood's file and read everything, it was more likely they didn't know anything.

Tommy could feel her squirm as they passed the officers. He knew what was going through her head; he softly squeezed her good hand, and in his lowest voice possible, "Just breath."

They followed Steve, as they weaved through the maze of the station. The quantity of people in the building surprised Azucena and she focused on her breathing and avoiding eye contact with everyone. She was already wishing this were over. The amount of people was overwhelming.

They finally approached Officer Torres' desk, and the woman stood up. She held out her hand and kept her voice calm and even, "Azucena, I'm glad you were up for meeting with me today."

Azucena returned the handshake and nodded her head.

"I won't take up too much of your time. I figured I can take us to a room, and you can give me your statement of what happened last night. Is that okay?"

"Yeah." Azucena responded, nodding her head in agreement from nervous energy.

"Your friend or your brother are both welcome to sit in there with us, but neither of them can say anything." Officer Torres said, looking at both men. She wanted them to understand that they couldn't have any outburst based on what was discussed. However, both Steve and Tommy knew how terribly uncomfortable this entire situation was for Azucena. The only thing either of them were planning on doing was be supportive.

Steve looked to his sister, "I don't want to overwhelm you. I know Tommy's been through this before, so if you want, I can hang back and he can go with you. But if you want me in there, I'm more than willing to be."

"Tommy will be fine." She managed to squeak out. Steve and Tommy had both observed how quickly she had shut down. Steve was certain it was because of the amount of people. She hadn't really been ready to encounter this many people and he could understand how self-conscious she was about everything. She looked at Steve and quickly followed up with, "Please don't be offended."

"Not offended at all." Steve reassured her. "Take your time."

Officer Torres looked at Azucena, but Steve understood that she was telling him, "Azucena, if you and Tommy want to follow me to interrogation room three, we will get this over with."

Steve watched as they followed her to the interrogation room, and Steve quickly found his way into the observation room attached to interrogation room three. He opened the door to find Danny standing there. "Danno, what are you doing here?"

"Thought you could use some moral support. Figured Tommy would go in there with her and you would end up in here. Janeen called me when you told her you were headed this way." Danny explained, and then back pedaled, "But hey man, I know this is really sensitive to 'Cena, so if you want me to leave, just say the word."

"Nah man, it would be good to have you here. I'm pretty sure I don't want to hear this by myself." Steve confided, and turned his attention to the interrogation room. He knew Azucena couldn't see him, it was a one-way mirror. He didn't want to spy on her, but he did want to know everything.

He watched everyone sit at the table and he focused solely on his sister, he paid attention to her words, but he watched her actions. Her body language screamed humiliation and fear.

 _I thought it was a hurt puppy. It sounded like a hurt puppy, otherwise I wouldn't have gone down the alley._

He watched her hands on the table. They couldn't stay still, they were fidgeting with each other, until the hand in the brace grasped the other to keep them both still.

 _He said he was going to make me scream in pain. He said he knew I liked it rough, just like last time._

She angrily wiped away the tears that streamed down her face. He could see she was working to push it all down and dam the tears, but nothing was holding them back now. He could see the exhaustion had taken its toll on her body. It was doing things involuntarily and that frustrated Azucena.

 _He threw me against the dumpster, tore my clothes, and grabbed at my breasts. I screamed for help and kicked him in the groin and ran for the street, screaming for help._

Steve could feel Danny shifting next to him. This whole situation was uncomfortable, but Steve knew no matter how uncomfortable they were, it was worse for his sister. He watched as she clutched her hands together again, working so hard to keep her body still.

 _He grabbed me by my skirt and picked me up like a rag doll. I fought so hard against him, I screamed, but he clamped his hand over my mouth and shoved me up against the wall this time. He continued to tear at my clothes, and I fought against him, but he grabbed me by the neck. He started squeezing and I couldn't breathe, let alone scream._

He could feel her fear. He had felt it ever since he had seen her last night, but to hear her describe this and to see her face drain of all color made the fear tangible. He wanted to find this man and tear every limb from his body. Steve wanted this monster to feel the pain and terror that his sister felt last night and at this very moment.

 _I couldn't breathe and I thought I was going to die. He said he was going to make me pay for sending him to prison. He was going to make me hurt in ways I couldn't imagine. I know he said other things, but I can't remember them, I passed out._

 _You passed out?_

 _Yeah, I remember laying on the ground and seeing two sets of feet. Eventually one set ran away and the other set came towards me._

 _Azucena, did he rape you?_

 _No._

Steve realized her answer was extremely fast and he understood what Janeen was driving at.

 _You said you were unconscious. Are you sure he didn't rape you?_

 _I'm certain of it._

He could hear the firmness of her voice. There was no doubt in her mind, but honestly if she wasn't conscious anything could have happened. However, he trusted his sister. If she said it didn't happen, it didn't happen.

"Jesus." Danny said, as he ran his hand through his hair. He knew it was bad and a close call last night, but he hadn't realized how close of a call it had been. She hadn't said anything to him other than, "He's here." He completely understood the shock that had taken over her person and Danny felt like his insides had been eviscerated after listening to everything.

"I know Danny. I can't even begin to figure out how to help her. I want to murder the man that did this to her, and I want to thank the man that helped her." Steve paused, and looked Danny in the eye, "And honestly, this is so selfish to say, but I want back my sister back would look me in the eye. I want back the feisty little sister that teases and mocks me. She's a shell of herself and I know it's going to take time to get her back, but I never imagined he had this much power over her. I never imagined in five minutes he could take away the sister I knew and replaced her with a shell of her former self."

"You and I both know it's going to take time, but she's going to bounce back from this. It's probably going to be a hell of a lot harder and take more time than the WoFat encounters, but she's strong and she has a great support system." Danny said, trying to reassure his partner that his sister would eventually work her way back to them.

If Danny were honest with himself, he wanted the same thing Steve wanted. The previous evening, he couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the lost and desolate look on Azucena's battered face. Looking at her face today was even worse, and the hand marks on her neck made him sick to his stomach.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

The truck ride home from the police station had been quiet and somber. Very few words were exchanged, and Steve could see her shrink into a smaller and smaller form of a person. Her eyes were constantly darting around the outside of the truck and avoiding any eye contact whatsoever with him.

As they pulled into the driveway, they all recognized Doris' car. Steve realized she must have been waiting for them to come home. After learning everything this morning, it would be too easy for Doris to just leave them alone for a while and let Azucena heal. He could only imagine what this was going to bring.

"Can't she just leave us alone?" Azucena asked out loud, to no one in particular. She had relived the hell of the prior evening and now she just wanted to get home and take a shower. Wash everything from earlier off her person, but Doris decided she needed to be here. Doris decided to grace them with her presence.

"I'll get her to leave." Steve quickly supplied, understanding his sister's reaction. He could understand that Doris would want to help, but it wasn't exactly like Doris and Azucena were close.

"Thanks, but don't bother, it will only make her want to stay. I'm gonna go sit by the water for a while." She said, as she opened the door to the truck and slid out. Tommy and Steve exchanged looks of concern and then Tommy followed Azucena.

Steve rubbed his hands over his face. How much more complicated could life get?


	97. Chapter 97: Washing It Away

**Sorry for the delay in posting. Live has been plenty busy lately, so this took a back burner. On a side note, I don't know if any of you have see the** _ **Aquaman**_ **movie, but my husband and I watched it the other day. When I saw Mera in the movie as a human, that is exactly how I imagined Azucena. I posted her picture as my profile picture, so anyone who hadn't seen it would know what I'm talking about.**

 **Trigger Warning – Please be forewarned.**

 **Thanks for continuing to read!  
~Avy73**

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Steve watched as his sister disappeared around the side of the house. She wasn't taking any chance of running into Doris and part of him understood. The other part of him wished his sister could connect with their mother. He had a fragile relationship with Doris, while Mary's was like their mother had never left. Azucena was the one that pushed everything away, and honestly, Steve understood. It's hard to be around people that have rejected you.

He exited the truck and walked towards the house, watching Tommy follow after Azucena. As he reached the front porch, he took a deep breath. He was drained from everything in the last twenty-four hours. Well, less than twenty-four hours and he feared that when he opened the front door, things would continue down the dramatic path. He rubbed the back of his neck to relieve some of the tension and then he opened the front door of the house.

He found Mary pacing in the living room; he could see the tension in her shoulders. He had barely closed the front door before Mary was in front of him, her voice a whisper, "I can't get her to leave."

"Mom?" Steve questioned, trying to understand what Mary was telling him.

"Yes Mom, she won't leave. She's bound and determined to help 'Cena."

"There's nothing she can do to fix this. She doesn't realize that?" Steve asked with a perplexed look on his face.

"Apparently not, she's cooking a dinner of beans and rice and fried plantains. She thinks that will help 'Cena."

"Food isn't going to fix this; you and I both know that." Steve responded.

"Tell me something I don't know, big brother." Replied Mary, frustration evident in her face. "I tried to get her to just drop me off after our day together, but she's not leaving."

They both heard the sliding back door shut. Steve knew that sound would mean Doris had headed outside to talk with their sister. He needed everything to stop, this was overwhelming for him. He knew if Doris was driving him nuts, it wasn't going to end well with his youngest sister.

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Azucena rounded the corner of the house and bee-lined straight for the beach. She stopped at the chairs and slid her sandals off. Placing one foot on the chair, she rolled her pants up to her knee. She switched legs and did the same thing; Tommy was behind her in the distance.

After the amount of people at the police station and reliving the events of the previous evening, she needed everything to be still. She needed everyone to disappear and she needed to focus her energies on locking away the events of the previous evening. It was over and done with, it was time to get over it. He might still be out there, but there was no use in lingering over it.

She waded into the water of the beach and closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the waves roll up on the beach and lap onto the shore. The roar of the waves dulled the sharpness of the memories. She imagined the waves rolling over her and washing away all the terror and bad memories, washing away his smell, washing away his words that made her feel dirty. She could feel the muscles in her shoulders slowly begin to relax when a voice tore through the oncoming serenity, "Hay arroz and frijoles en la cocina."

 _There are beans and rice in the kitchen._ Azucena could feel the tension begin to build in her shoulders again. She didn't understand Doris' need to be here and cooking what she would have considered comfort food as a kid. She needed her to leave and let her find peace in her own way, "Gracias Claudia."

"Y platános fritos."

 _And fried plantains._ Azucena closed her eyes and looked to the sky. She was trying to maintain her composure, but there had been too many high intensity moments today, too much emotion. "¿Qué quieres, Claudia?"

 _What do you want Claudia?_ She turned around and looked at her mother, the woman who had brought her into the world, but quickly abandoned her when thing had gotten too difficult. The woman who had left her to strangers, never knowing if they were good people. The woman who had said incredibly hurtful things to her ever since she was brought back into her life.

"I want to say sorry for the 'loose morals' comment a few months ago." The apology rolled off her tongue. It was in Spanish, so Tommy couldn't understand it. He had been standing about fifteen feet behind her mother, observing everything. Azucena could see Steve walking down the yard towards the beach as well.

She loved Tommy and Steve, and in some weird way, she loved her mother too, but she needed people to go away. She needed to take a few minutes and find some semblance of peace, but that wasn't going to happen at this moment. Her response came out in Spanish, "I don't want your pity Claudia."

"It's not pity."

"If you hadn't been here this morning, you wouldn't be apologizing now. So if it's not pity, what is it?" Azucena could hear the sharpness in her own voice, and it didn't surprise her. She knew her mother was horrified about what had happened to her and now she wanted to fix it.

Everyone wanted to fix the past. The problem was, nothing fixed the past, the edges of memories softened, and they became less painful over time. No amount of beans and rice or pained looks from her mother was going to fix this and she knew that. It was disturbing but in her almost twenty years on earth, she had survived more than she should have to, and she had learned that only time softened the blow. If you worked hard to push it down, the peace came sooner rather than later.

"Empathy." Doris kept eye contact with Azucena, and her facial features softened, "And shame. I'm ashamed at my behavior towards you since I've come back. I want to start over."

Azucena couldn't even begin to wrap her head around her mother's words, was she serious? She was barely hanging on by a thread and her mother wanted to start over. "Claudia, I don't have the energy to have this conversation with you."

"I can understand that. Maybe in a few days I can come over and we can talk."

Azucena stood in the surf and stared up at the sky, awestruck at her mother's behavior. She wasn't certain what there was to talk about and there wasn't a chance in hell she was going to open up to her mother about what had happened the previous night or three years ago. She didn't trust Doris and she couldn't imagine a world where she discussed any of this with her.

She took a deep breath, uncertain of what she was going to say, because internally she was seething with anger and emotionally ready to crumble. Steve must have read her because his voice interrupted her thoughts. She had to readjust her ears, as Steve's words were in English, "Doris, it's been a long day for everyone. Maybe you can have this conversation another time?"

Doris turned her attention to her son and could read what he was telling her without saying it, _Now is not the time to be doing this._

Doris turned her attention back to her daughter, standing in the rolling surf, "I'll be back in a few days. We can talk then."

With that, Doris turned and walked back towards the house. Steve, Tommy, and Azucena just stood where they were, Steve and Tommy could see the shock on Azucena's face. Steve quickly spoke up, "I'm sorry, I didn't know she was going to come find you."

Azucena trudged up to the beach, as Steve and Tommy walked down to the chairs, "Don't stress about it, it's not your fault. You can't stop the pity everyone feels compelled to show."

Steve was worried that he had fallen into the pity trap as well. He remembered she had said everyone had pity eyes when they found out. "Have I had pity eyes?"

His sister almost chuckled, "Nah, you've had angry eyes. I'll take those over pity eyes any day of the week."

It was in this moment that his sister was shining through. The sister that laughed and teased, the sister that could look him in the eye, the sister he had been missing for the last twenty-four hours. Steve spoke up, "I'll give her credit, she did make dinner and it smells really good."

Azucena looked at both of the men in her life, "You guys go ahead and eat. I'm not real hungry. I'm gonna go take a shower."

Tommy wasn't surprised by this statement. He had figured it was only a matter of time after visiting the police station that she would feel compelled to take a shower, and wash off the memories of the previous evening. He spoke up, "He's not on you. You washed his germs and smell off you last night."

"I know, I just feel dirty." She said, softly. She was almost ashamed of her feelings, but she felt them, and she owned them.

"I know, I just wanted to remind you. You aren't dirty and he isn't here." Tommy said, as she reached for his hand. The three of them walked up to the house. Steve understood Tommy was trying to remind her that Woods wasn't here, but he heard his sister's soft, stubborn voice, "Still taking a shower."

"I'm not fighting you on the shower, but we will save you some dinner." Responded Tommy, gently squeezing her hand.

"You don't need to, I'm not hungry."

Steve took this moment to speak up, his voice gentle, but firm. "You need to eat, but first go take your shower."

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

She quickly disappeared upstairs and the moment the bathroom door closed, Steve turned to Tommy, "What did Doris say to her?"

Tommy shrugged, "No idea, it was all in Spanish and I pulled a C in high school Spanish."

Steve grinned, he appreciated Tommy's honesty. Steve hadn't been able to decipher any of the conversation because of the wind and honestly, Azucena's speed when she spoke Spanish was far beyond his language abilities.

They wandered into the kitchen to find Mary scooping up four plates of beans and rice with fried plantains. She handed a plate to each of the guys and placed one in the warm oven for Azucena. Mary looked to Tommy, concern on her face, "I get the whole 'have to shower and scrub any trace of him off me,' but how long will she do that?"

The three of them wandered into the dining room and sat down at the table. Tommy looked at his plate and then directly at Mary, this was the part that really ate away at him. Azucena felt she was dirty, and it was the furthest thing from the truth, but it was going to take a while for her to get over that, "No idea, it took quite a while the last time. I think when they catch him and put him back in prison, it will become less of a thing for her. Right now, she feels like she doesn't have any control; because he's roaming free, she isn't safe. Just the thought of him makes her skin crawl, so talking about him, seeing him, or anything makes her feel dirty."

"What happened with Doris today?" Steve asked Mary, curious to find out what all Doris knew.

"She kept asking questions about everything and I just kept telling her that I didn't know anything about this guy. 'Cena came home last night from the hospital all beat up and you said she was attacked. I didn't tell her about anything else, but Mom's not stupid. She read the card on the flowers, she drew her own conclusions."

"She's not going to let this go." Stated Steve, to no one in particular.

"Red's not going to discuss it with her." Tommy stated, certain of his statement, "She rarely discusses the incident and when she does, it's with me or Jack. No offense Steve, but she wasn't going to tell you. I'm glad you were there to help her through the parole process though, and that you understood why she didn't plan to say anything."

"It wasn't my business then and I understand her desire for privacy. I just wish we would have known he was on the island. Janeen checked in with his parole officer and it was determined that he skipped town right after meeting with him. He had been on the island for five days, watching and waiting."

"Makes me want to throw up thinking that he was basically stalking her." Said Mary, disgust in her voice.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Azucena closed the door to the bathroom and peeled off her clothes as quickly as she could. Her body was still in a lot of pain from the bruises that covered a good portion of her trunk, face, and arms. She saw her reflection in the mirror and her stomach churned. Food was not at all appealing and then seeing her physical appearance made the idea of eating even more unimaginable.

She couldn't get into the shower fast enough, the desire to scrub away the memories and let them wash down the drain overwhelmed her. Listening to her own words at the police station had brought forth a revulsion she had managed to lock away for years. The sickening description of what he had done to her and what he intended to do to her made her nauseous and embarrassed. She knew she had done nothing wrong, but it still didn't make her feel any less ashamed.

She scoured her skin as hard as she could, softening her scrubbing on the bruised parts of her person. She imagined with each bubble of soap sliding down her body and into the drain, her shame and disgust went with it. She knew his germs had been wash away the previous evening and from a germ perspective, she was clean. However, there would always be a little part of her that felt dirty because of what he had done to her, but she had to push past it. She had to find her way forward and putting all the memories in a small, mental box was her path forward. From this point forward, she was no longer going to dwell on it. He had enough power in her life, she wasn't going to give him any more. It was time for her to take back the control.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve, Tommy, and Mary had finished the dishes when they heard the footsteps on the stairs. Tommy walked out into the living room to find her dressed in long pajama pants, a tank top, and an open zippered hoodie. He knew she was working on not covering herself from head to toe, but the bruising around her neck was darker than it had been when he arrived this morning and it made his blood boil. The fact that he had choked her unconscious had been eating away at him all afternoon, but to see the physical reminder of it enraged him.

She noticed the change in his features, when his eyes landed on her neck. She walked towards him, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, "It's going to disappear soon."

"I know, it just sickens me to know what he did to you and what he almost did." He said, as he gently wrapped his arms around her person. He knew she was absorbing some of his anger, while he reminded himself that the wounds would eventually fade. Not nearly fast enough for either of them, but they would disappear with time.

He held her until he was certain he had wiped the anger off his face. He pulled back from her, "Come on, we saved you some food."

"Food isn't really appealing right now." She responded, trying to find a way to beg off eating.

Steve appeared in the kitchen doorway with a plate of dinner and a glass of water, "You have to eat, but I was thinking, we could all watch the Peanuts movie Mary recorded."

"Snoopy!" Mary yelled from the kitchen, "I'm in!"

Azucena took the plate of food and curled up on the sofa. Tommy claimed the seat next to her. Steve and Mary situated themselves on the recliner and the corner of the sofa. The four of them let go of reality for an hour and watch Snoopy and Woodstock celebrate the Great Pumpkin.


	98. Chapter 98: Famiy Supports Each Other

**Sorry for the delay in posting an update, life is crazy. Thanks to all who continue to read and for all the notes you leave. I am truly fortunate that you are all enjoying this story. ~Avy73**

 **Trigger Warning – Please be forewarned.**

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 _She couldn't see him, but she could smell him. The musky smell invaded her nostrils. She felt one of his arms cinched around her waist, while his hand clamped over her mouth. She fought against him, using every bit of her strength to loosen his grip, but it only caused him to pull her tighter against him. She could feel his breath on her ear as his words snaked their way into her brain, "I know you like it rough. I'm going to make you scream tonight."_

 _She fought against him, but it didn't matter, the harder she fought, the tighter his grip became. Then she heard another voice ring out in the darkness of the alley, a voice she knew and should bring her comfort, but not this time, "You're nothing but a whore. I didn't raise you to have loose morals, but I can see your foster parents didn't help that situation. Sex in an alleyway and now a hotel room with your boyfriend. I don't even want to know you!"_

 _The disapproving look on Claudia's face was a dagger to her heart, but the suffocating feeling of Wood's arms and hands on her person overrode the shame that she felt at Claudia's words. She continued to fight against Woods, praying for everything to stop._

 _Woods continued to hold her like a rag doll, and spun around to the other side of the alley, where WoFat, Tall and Skinny, and Short Man stood. Blood oozed out of the bullet wounds of Tall and Skinny and Short Man; but WoFat's words shook her to her core, "Little Sister, I'm so glad you could join us. After Woods makes you scream, we're going back to the abandoned factory for more fun."_

Her body was shaking, and she was fighting against Tommy's body in the bed, pushing away from him, as he patiently tried to talk her out of her nightmare, "Red baby, it's okay. You're safe. It's me, Tommy. We're in your room and no one is going to hurt you. Wake up for me baby, come on and wake up."

He knew she was fighting against Woods, but there was more to it. She was extremely agitated, and tears were streaking down her cheeks, "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! HELP ME! GOD NO, PLEASE NO!"

The screams turned to begging and Tommy continued to try and talk her out of the dream.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve was dead to the world when her screams tore through the house. He knew this sound, he had heard it right before Valentine's day, the visceral shriek that carried panic and gut-wrenching fear. He bolted out of bed and down the hall to Azucena's room, he could hear Tommy trying to wake her from the nightmare. He heard Mary stumble out into the hall, as he opened the door to Azucena's room.

Steve flipped on the bedroom light, to find Tommy working to wake her up, "Red, you're safe. Wake up for me."

The instant the light came on, it was as if she woke from the horror of the dream. Her eyes focused on Tommy and she collapsed against him, sobs racking her body. He pulled her to his chest and let her cry, "I've got you. Let it all out."

Tommy and Steve made eye contact, they both knew that this had been one of the worst nightmares. Steve had only heard her scream like this one other time, and it had been years, but Tommy knew this scream. It was the scream of unadulterated terror.

Steve left the light on, but he closed the door and turned to head downstairs to the kitchen. Mary followed after him, concern lacing her words. "Is this normal?"

"Yes, no, I don't know." Steve responded, frustration evident in his voice. The sound of Azucena begging shattered his heart into pieces, no one should have to experience that kind of fear. Yet he knew his sister fought through it, day after day; and he knew the previous night it had been for real. It hadn't been a dream. She fought against the man who had violated her and attempted to do it again.

Steve pulled a glass from the cabinet, filled it with water, and downed the liquid. He honestly wished the water had been whiskey, then it might have dulled some of the fury that raged through him.

Mary stood in the doorway of the kitchen, watching her brother down the water. His back to her, but she could feel the anger radiate off him in waves. She could see the muscles flex across his bare back, and she was shocked when she saw him take the glass in his hand and throw it full strength against the kitchen cabinet. The shards of the glass flying everywhere. He turned back to the sink and leaned over the counter.

She didn't dare approach him, she knew her brother would never hurt her, but he was a trained killer. She stood up right from leaning against the doorway, "Steve, look at me."

He took a deep breath and turned to his sister, she could see the tears that stained his cheeks. She rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around him, "You didn't do this to her."

"I can't help her Mary. None of us can help her." He held onto his sister and let the tears fall. He had never felt more helpless in his life. He wanted nothing more than to go out, find this guy, and kill him slowly and painfully, but he knew it wouldn't fix the situation. Woods would still haunt Azucena, whether he was dead or alive. What Woods had done to his sister and tried to do a second time, was horrific.

Mary pulled back from her big brother and gently wiped the tears off his cheeks, "That's not true Steve. I have watched you help her since I met her. You are incredibly protective of her, I've watched you comfort her after nightmares, you're the big brother she needs. You have given her a home, a whole other family, and she feel safe with us. You can't change her past big brother, but I know you make her feel safe."

"It's the screaming and the begging Mary, I can't get that sound out of my head. It's the same sound I heard six months ago." He stepped back and turned back around to the counter. He couldn't look at Mary while he relived the WoFat experience in his brain, "That scream is worse than when WoFat tortured her in front of me. That scream is primal."

"I don't disagree, it's a horrendous sound, but she's going to get past this. It's just going to take some time. This wound is incredibly fresh, but she's got you, me, and Tommy. We're family and we will help her through this."

Steve turned back around and pulled Mary into a hug.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Tommy held her against him as she sobbed against his shoulder. He had managed to lean against the headboard and just held her. He gently rocked her as she cried and he ran his fingers through her hair, "You're safe baby. No one is here."

She tried to speak, but the sobs overpowered her words. "Shh, I got you. Let it out. It's okay, just let it all out."

He held her to his body and worked to calm her. In the same instant, he was working to calm himself. His heart was beating a mile a minute from the sound of her scream. It had scared him, the severity of the scream. It had been years since he heard her scream like this, but he knew the reasoning behind it. Woods was back in her world and it was terrifying for her.

"He was gonna do it again," She choked out between sobs, "and they were all there."

"Who was there Red?" he asked softly, keeping his voice calm. He knew if she talked about it, it would take away the power of the dream.

"WoFat, Claudia, Short Man, Tall and Skinny." She sobbed, "They were all there, and their words. . . oh God, their words."

"It was just a dream." Tommy tried to reassure her, "WoFat's in prison and those other two guys are gone. They can't get you."

"It was so real Tommy. His arm digging into my waist and I couldn't breathe. He was holding me so tight and his other hand was clamped over my mouth. I fought Tommy! Oh God, I fought so hard and I couldn't move." She dissolved into tears again.

He knew things would get better, but these first few weeks were going to be dreadful for her. Tommy continued to hold her and run his hand through her hair. He knew that eventually; this soothing motion would relax her.

There was a soft knock on the door and Steve let himself into her room. He quietly placed two bottles of water on the nightstand, flipped on the lamp on Azucena's bedside table, and glanced at his sister. She was curled up into Tommy's side, her face buried in his shoulder, and slowly breathing in calm breaths.

"You guys need anything?" Steve asked softly. Azucena didn't move and she didn't make a sound, Tommy looked at him, "We're good, thanks for the water."

"Holler if you need anything." Steve said, he flipped the light switch off and disappeared from the room.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Mary was climbing the stairs, when Steve emerged from Azucena's bedroom. She had swept up the glass shards from the kitchen floor and counter tops. She knew she was going to sweep the floor and wipe down the counters a second time in the morning, just in case she had missed anything.

Steve looked to his sister, "Sorry about earlier and the glass."

"I get it, believe me, I get it." She hugged her brother, "Get some sleep."

"You too Mare, you too."

Mary disappeared into her room and closed the door. Steve pulled back the covers and sat on the side of his bed. He picked up his phone and texted Catherine.

 _Can you get away for a few days? I need you._

He hit send before he could reconsider his text. He thought it sounded needy, but he was being honest. He couldn't do this alone. Mary had been right, they were family and family helped each other, but he needed something more right now.

He needed Catherine. He wanted to bury is face in her hair, breath in her smell, and let all the stress of the last thirty-six hours disappear. He wanted to be selfish for a little while. He needed to be selfish for a little while.

He crawled into bed and pulled the covers over his body. He lay in the darkness until his brain shut off and he eventually fell asleep.

He woke at 5:05 to the sound of his cell phone ringing. He sleepily reached for his phone, glanced at the screen, and pushed the accept button, "McGarrett."

"Steve, it's Janeen Torres." She paused, "We caught him. They are preparing to send him to Halawa."

"Hold him, I want five minutes with him. I'll be there in fifteen."

He could hear the hesitation in her voice, "Okay."


	99. Chapter 99: Woods

**Trigger warning – Please be forewarned**

 **#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#**

Steve threw on street clothes, laced up his boots, and clipped his badge and gun onto his jeans. He ran a comb through his hair and quietly let himself out of the house. He drove through the deserted streets of Oahu and made it to the police station in record time.

He quickly found his way through the maze of desks and found Janeen Torres elbows deep in paperwork. He could see the fatigue around her eyes. He knew she had been working day and night to find the man who attacked his sister. Steve approached her desk and she stood up, "This isn't a good idea Steve."

"I won't do anything to compromise this case, but I need this." He said, his voice almost pleading with the woman. He needed to see the man that held so much power over his sister. He needed to make sure that this filthy excuse for a human being left his sister alone.

"You can't go in there by yourself."

"You can be in there, I don't mind." Steve answered, knowing she knew every detail of this case and what happened three years ago.

"No, I'm not strong enough to pull you off him." She confessed, frustration evident in her voice.

"I'm not going to touch him." Steve responded.

"You say that now, but this guy will get under your skin. He's despicable."

Steve glanced around the precinct, it was too early for the first shift employees he knew. But as he turned his head to continue his conversation with Janeen, he spotted Lou Grover walking through the precinct. "Lou, what about if Lou went in with me?"

"Captain Grover's here?" she questioned, looking around.

"Lou! Can you come over here?" Steve asked, raising his voice to be heard across the station. They both watched as Lou weaved his way through the maze of desks towards the two of them. "What can I do for you both this morning?"

"You're here early." Stated Torres.

"Domestic violence standoff; got called in around three." Lou explained, placing his hands on his hips.

"I need you to be a witness in an interrogation room." Said Steve, not offering any further details.

"Sure, fine by me." Lou answered, oblivious to what was happening in Steve's life. Lou had been so wrapped up in the SWAT world, that he had missed most of the chatter about the man on the loose for attacking a woman.

"I'm warning you McGarrett. You can't touch him. He's a former cop, he knows how to play the system." Torres' voice was tight.

"Not going to touch him. I need this man to go back to prison."

"How's she doing?" Torres asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Terrified and him going back to prison is the only thing that is going to help fix it. I'm not going to screw that up."

"He's cuffed to the table in interrogation room three."

"Thanks, Janeen." He said, and he headed towards the interrogation room, Lou following behind him.

Steve opened the door to the interrogation room and took in the sight of the man cuffed to the table. Steve understood Azucena's description of being picked up like a ragdoll, the man was a solid wall of muscle. His sister had been right, Woods had spent the last three years in the prison gym. Steve would have been able to take Woods, but it would have been through agility and not physical strength. His sister hadn't stood a chance.

Woods looked up at Steve and watched Lou shuffle into the room. Lou leaned against the wall, not prepared for what was about to be said.

"Do you know who I am?" questioned Steve, keeping eye contact with Woods.

"Yeah, you're the guy that little slut is living with now. Is she doing you too? Careful man, she'll say you raped her. That's what happened to me."

Steve swallowed the bile that rose in the back of his throat, this guy was a piece of filth. Steve could hear Lou stand up straight in the back corner of the room, realizing that he might actually have to pull Steve off the man.

"The sixteen-year-old girl you raped three years ago is my sister."

"I didn't rape her, it was a mutual hookup." Woods sneered.

"Mutual hookups don't normally involve a knife to the woman's throat, or a six-inch knife wound." Observed Steve, as he leaned forward on the metal chair on his side of the table.

"She likes it rough." Woods replied, looking away from Steve. Woods didn't want to engage in the truth of the situation.

"I know back in Kansas, life in prison was pretty cush for you. You were in a secure wing and you managed to fool them into thinking you had changed, you found God."

Woods continued to look away, he knew the man in front of him could see through his lies.

"You conned your way into parole, but you couldn't leave the past in the past. You had to find her, and then you hunted her down and attacked her like the disgusting animal you are. I know what you did, I know what you planned to do, and I can see the marks of your fingers across her throat. She fought so hard against you, that you had to choke her unconscious before you would have been able to do anything to her. Fortunately, someone stepped in to help her."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I know exactly what I'm talking about. She said it was you and here we are." Steve's voice was tight and quiet, "There's nothing more I would like than to take you outside of this building and hunt you down like you did my sister. Unfortunately, as an officer of the law, I can't do that."

Steve picked up the chair and slammed it hard against the wall of the room, finally able to let go of some of the anger that had gripped his person for the last day and a half. Lou was shocked by what he had just witnessed, but after listening to everything, he could understand why Steve was acting the way he was.

"Here's what going to happen. You're going to prison for the rest of your sentence, only this time, you're going into general population. I have friends in Halawa, and everyone there will know that you are a convicted rapist and a former cop."

Steve paused to let the reality of the situation sink in, "You know what happens to most rapists in prison, they don't survive. And the only thing most prison inmates hate more than rapists are cops. Looks like you have two marks against you.

"If you manage to survive the next two years, you are never going to go near my sister again. Hawaii is a three strikes state, and if you were to go near her again, you would go back to prison for life. I say 'if' because if you so much as breath the same air as her, you won't survive me. Understand?"

Woods knew the man in front of him was serious and he would kill him. He had already threatened him with spreading the word of being a former cop and a rapist. He knew he was screwed going into the joint, so he was going to at least torment the man until they took him to prison, "Your sister was the tightest little thing when I took her. I got to make her bleed and she'll always remember me for that."

Lou had his arms around Steve's waist and was pulling him towards the door before Woods ever finished his sentence. "You son of a bitch!"

Lou was surprised with the fact that he had been able to pull Steve out of the room, but he understood Steve's reaction. Lou honestly wanted to throw up after hearing everything that had happened to the red headed sister from Kansas, but he needed to focus on the friend in front of him, "McGarrett, he said that to get in your head. He knows he's screwed going into general population."

"He said it because it's true Lou." Anger and sadness overtaking Steve's features. Lou pulled Steve into an empty conference room, and Steve unloaded, "I can't fix this Lou, I can't make the nightmares go away, and if I hadn't been away at Reserves this week, this wouldn't have happened."

Lou perched on the edge of the conference table and watched Steve pace the room, "I don't know what happened this week, but that sicko in there is fucking with you. He knows how to manipulate people and he is using what he did to your sister to get you to lose control. Torres is right, he knows how to play the system. General population is the worst place to put a former cop and rapist, he's not going to survive the next two years."

"I hope he doesn't," Steve confessed, "I want him to know the fear and terror that she feels every day. I want him to constantly look over his shoulder for a monster."

"Well, I wouldn't want you coming after me." Lou offered up, "The way you laid it all out and then telling him he wouldn't survive you, pretty scary stuff."

Steve's phone buzzed. He glanced down to a text message from Mary, _Where are you?_

"I gotta go." He looked up at Lou, "Thanks for having my back in there man."

"Anytime, and if you or your sister need anything, just say the word."

"Thanks, and um ." Steve was preparing to ask Lou to keep everything to himself, but Lou could read the man, "I'm not going to say a word."

"Thanks man, we appreciate it."

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Steve walked out to the truck from the precinct and texted Mary, _Be home shortly._

As he opened the door and climbed in, his cell rang. He looked at the beautiful face that popped up on the screen of his phone, Catherine.

"Cath." He answered, and the sound of her voice made his shoulders relax and he could feel the tension drain away from his body.

"Steve, is everything okay?" There was fear and concern in her voice, but he understood his text message to her hadn't helped.

"Things are starting to move in the right direction." He responded, working to push down Woods' vile words that danced in the back of his head.

"I have a flight, it leaves in an hour. I get in at 5:30 tonight, will that work?"

"Yeah, that will be perfect." He responded, knowing Mary would be at the house tonight and then she would fly out for the week. Tommy was in town for another few days, so this would give him a night at a hotel for him and Catherine. Things were a lot cheaper when his sisters didn't live with him, but he wouldn't change the living arrangements for the world.

"Can you tell me what's going on?" caution in her voice.

"I honestly don't want to talk about it. I want to wrap you in my arms and make slow, passionate love to you." Steve shared in full honesty.

"I'm definitely not going to complain about that." She answered, with a laugh in her throat. "I need to finish getting through security. I'll see you tonight."

"Sounds good, I love you Catherine."

"Love you too, Steve."

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Tommy was descending the stairs to the living room when the front door opened. Steve walked in and glanced up at him, "Where is she?"

"Just got out of the shower." Tommy responded as the two men walked into the kitchen. Mary poured two cups of coffee for the guys, as Tommy started the electric kettle for Azucena's tea.

"You guys get anymore sleep last night?" asked Mary, as she handed a mug to Tommy.

"It took a while, but she finally fell asleep. She won't be taking any more painkillers though."

"She blames the medicine?" Steve questioned, curious if that is what truly set it off or if it was all sitting in her brain waiting to present itself to her when she was relaxed.

"The medicine, Claudia, Woods, you name it. It's all a jumble and the medicine relaxes her. She can't fight it if she's relaxed."

"Claudia?" Steve asked, curious how their mother made it into her nightmare.

"She won't talk about it in detail. But her, WoFat, his minions, and Woods all made appearances from what she said."

"I don't understand how mom is in her nightmare with those assholes." Mary stated, as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Because she thinks I'm a whore who has sex in back alleys. My morals don't stack up to hers and that's a part of my questionable upbringing." Answered Azucena, as she entered the kitchen. Mary choked on her coffee and tried to cover for their mother, "She doesn't think you're a whore."

"Pretty sure that's what she was telling me the last time Tommy was in town and now that she knows about the rape, she's trying to walk it back." Azucena said, as she took the ceramic mug of tea from Tommy. "The sex in back alleys is just my brain warping everything when I sleep."

"All that matters is that we all know it isn't true and we aren't judging you." Steve said, trying to remove Doris from the conversation. He knew she wasn't going to help fix this. He looked to his youngest sister, "Do you want some good news?"

"Did they find him?" she asked, he could read the hope in her eyes. He watched as Tommy rested his hand on the small of her back.

"They found him, and they are sending him to Halawa Correctional Facility as we speak."

"When did that happen?" Tommy asked, he assumed that is what Steve was returning from when he was walking down the stairs.

"Janeen called me around five this morning and this time he's going into general population."

"What does that mean?" asked Azucena.

"When Woods was in jail the last time, he was in a secure wing because he was a law enforcement officer. They have to keep them segregated from the general population because it's incredibly dangerous for a former cop to mix with regular prisoners." Steve explained, maintaining eye contact with his youngest sister. "Because he violated his parole, he has to go back and finish his sentence, but this time he won't be in a secure wing. He is being placed into general population with the rest of the inmates in prison."

"He got special treatment because he was a dirty cop?" she asked, disgust on her face.

"Unfortunately, yes." Steve paused, and then tried to help her find the positive. "There's an unwritten rule among prisoners, most of them don't care what the other one is in prison for. However, rapists and pedophiles are normally viewed as the lowest scum of a prison system by the inmates themselves. The only person worse than them are ex-cops. He's a convicted rapist and a former cop, life isn't going to be easy for him."

He could see the conflict flicker across her face, as she held onto the island in front of her. "So you're saying he's going to be targeted by the other inmates."

"There's a strong chance, yes."

She didn't comment any further, she couldn't figure out how she felt about this. Part of her wanted him to feel the fear and pain of what she went through and having to constantly look over her shoulder, but another part of her couldn't wish that on another human being. However, Woods and WoFat constituted as her worst enemy, she didn't think they were exactly human.

Steve and Tommy could both read the conflict in her person, and they both understood why she felt this way. She was a good person with a good heart. They had both watched her struggle through everything, and they were perfectly fine with him being targeted.

She changed the subject, "I'm gonna go sit by the water."

"You need to eat breakfast." Steve countered, knowing she wasn't going to eat.

"I will later, not hungry right now." She said, wandering towards the backyard with her mug of tea. Steve knew this didn't fix what had happened, but it was a step in the right direction.


	100. Chapter 100: Searching for Normalcy

**I've been a little late in posting, as I've been sidelined with a major sinus infection. It's incredibly hard to concentrate when it feels like your head is going to explode. This chapter is longer than normal, but I wasn't certain where to chop it up and felt like it all went together better. For all those that continue to read, thank you. To those that leave notes, please know that they mean the world to me. ~Avy73**

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Steve walked down to the beach with two slices of peanut butter toast wrapped in a paper towel. In his other hand, he carried his coffee mug. Tommy knew Azucena well enough to let her have some time to mull over all the information from the morning and had disappeared to take a shower. Steve, on the other hand, needed more. He wasn't certain what he needed to hear, but he needed to know that she was okay.

He could see her curled up in one of the chairs, her legs pulled up in front of her, and her tea cup clutched to her chest. He placed the toast on the arm rest of the chair and sat down next to her. She continued to look out at the water until he brought it up, "Want to talk about any of it?"

He watched her, he could tell she was weighing her choice of words. She didn't pull her eyes away from the water, her voice was soft, "Did you see him?"

"Yeah, I did." Steve left it at that. After seeing the man in person, he could understand the fear his sister possessed and how hard she must have fought against him. She was lucky someone walked by when they did.

"I wish you wouldn't have." She responded, Steve was confused by her words. He waited to see what else she was going to say, and he didn't have to wait too long.

"If you hadn't have seen him, it would be easier to pretend it never happened. It would just stay something in the past, but now that you've seen him it feels even more real." She paused and took a deep breath, her eyes still locked on the ocean. "I recognize that I'm having a pity party with myself and things could have been so much worse this time, but I just wish you had never seen him. I don't know why, and it sounds so silly when I say it out loud."

Steve took in her words and picked up the underlying meaning in them. She was embarrassed. He leaned forward in the chair and rested his elbows on his knees, "'Cena, would you look at me?"

She slowly tore her eyes away from the water and looked at Steve. He could read the age in those nineteen-year-old eyes. Those eyes had seen and experienced things that no one should experience in a lifetime, let alone nineteen years. "Do you realize how incredibly strong and brave you are?"

She glanced away from Steve in this moment, he knew she would. She struggled to take a compliment and he couldn't determine if it was because she was so polite or if it was because of the attention it placed on her. He gave her a minute to collect herself before he continued. She glanced back at him, "Strong and brave aren't the words I would use to describe myself, more like cry baby and fraidy cat."

He knew she would go there, but he understood her reactions to everything. They were normal reactions after being attacked and trying to find security in the world. "The tears and the fear are perfectly normal. I would be more concerned if you didn't have them. But I'm trying to tell you how incredible of a fighter you are. I saw him; he's huge. I honestly would struggle to bring him down and you managed to fight him until someone could help you. That isn't something to take lightly.

"I know what he did to you back in Kansas and I can't imagine the strength it took to get up every day and face the world head on. Right now, you're slowly finding your way back to a sense of normalcy and security. I know it isn't going to happen overnight, but I'm so proud of you. You have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about, do you understand that?"

She nodded her head yes, "Are you still going to be proud of me when I tell you I'm not going back to campus until this black eye and these bruises on my neck are gone?"

He wasn't surprised by her statement. He understood that there would be stares and questions and she didn't need to deal with strangers badgering her. "I completely understand, and you have every right to do that."

"You're not disappointed?" she questioned, hesitation in her voice.

"Not at all, you're taking care of yourself and that's important." He paused, and gestured towards the paper towel on the armrest, "But you need to eat too. I brought you peanut butter toast."

She had no desire to eat, but she knew he would sit there and wait until she ate the two pieces of toast. She set her tea mug on the arm rest and slowly ate at the toast. She was two bites in when Steve interrupted, "Catherine texted me this morning. She caught a flight out to the islands and hits town tonight."

Steve knew his sister wasn't up for people seeing her in this state, but he needed Catherine. He needed to hold her in his arms and the serenity she exuded. Steve neglected to mention that he was the one that invited her out. He was surprised by his sister's reaction, "Good, you need someone. I can see the stress and anxiety in your person. Hopefully her visit will help with that."

"You're okay with her coming to the house? Don't get me wrong, we'll stay at a hotel tonight, but I didn't know if her being here would be a problem for you."

"Steve, she's your fiancé. There's been enough drama the last few days and I've been fortunate enough to have Tommy here. You've been carrying around this rage inside of you and today is the lightest I've seen you since everything happened. If she makes your life better right now, I have no right to say she shouldn't come out."

"You sure?" he questioned, knowing she wished people didn't know about Woods and what happened.

"She's family. If she doesn't already know, she'll probably find out." She answered, exuding a strength she wasn't fully certain she possessed. But she wasn't wrong, Catherine was family and eventually all secrets came out. She knew Catherine would handle everything with compassion.

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Steve watched Catherine as she walked down the airport terminal towards him. She was as gorgeous as ever, in a purple sundress and her hair pulled up into an impromptu bun. He pulled her into his arms and inhaled the smell of her. Her arms wrapped around his waist and he just held her, "You okay Sailor?"

"I am now." He said, and he slowly pulled away from her, "You hungry?"

"I could eat, but I was really looking forward to what you described earlier." She said, a blush creeping up her cheeks. A smile stretched across Steve's face, he threw her bag over his shoulder, and took her hand in his as they walked out to the truck.

During the ride to the hotel, Steve quizzed her about life on the aircraft carrier and she happily answered. She could tell he wasn't ready to share what was going through his head and she didn't want to rush him. He pulled into the hotel parking lot and Catherine looked at him, "Both your sisters are home?"

"Mary flies out tomorrow, thought we could use some privacy."

"I'm not going to complain." He loved the smile that spread across her face.

They quickly checked into the room and rode the elevator up to the seventh floor. Steve used the key card on the door, and held the door open for Catherine. He followed her into the room, and she expected a rushed, stripping of clothes; but she was surprised.

Steve pulled her into his chest and held her and the moment she looked up at him, to make sure he was okay, he began to kiss her. The kisses were slow and passionate, and she realized what he meant on the phone this morning. This wasn't going to be frantic sex, this was going to be slow and sensual. He kissed her until she was almost begging him to rip her clothes off, but she returned the kisses with equal parts love and desire.

He reached around to the back of her dress and undid the zipper; the dress fell from her body. He peeled his shirt off as she unhooked her bra; and then he picked her up, laying her reverently on the bed. He ran his hands through her hair, as he worked his way from her lips, to her ears, down her neck, and to her breasts.

He was such an attentive lover that she was in absolute ecstasy. She loved it when they had rushed, frenzied sex, but she could feel the need in his body. He needed to take it slow and please her. He brought her to climax three times before he allowed himself to seek his own pleasure.

She curled into his naked body and ran her fingers across his torso, "That was amazing."

"Not gonna lie, I agree." He said, a slight chuckle escaping his lips. He ran his fingers through her long, dark hair and just savored the feeling of her body molded to his. They lay in bed holding each other for a long while, before she asked, "Better?"

"Yeah, much better."

"You hungry?"

"I could eat, but I could do that again too. You pick." He answered.

"Again, but I get to set the pace this time." She said, a playful smile spread across her face, as she straddled his torso and pinned his arms over his head. She leaned down over his face and kissed him hard and passionately. Her hands found his hands and their fingers intertwined. He felt the fire in her spread to him and this round of love making was fast and frenzied, but they matched each other stroke for stroke.

They collapse onto the bed and this time, his head rested on her abdomen and she ran her fingers through his hair. Any tension that had been in his body at the airport had been worked out of his system and he was putty in her hands. He lay there, all but drooling, when she mentioned dinner, "Okay, I do need food, especially if you are up for round three later."

"Room service or restaurant?"

"Room service means we don't have to put real clothes on." She observed.

"Room service it is." He answered, pushing himself up from his resting position. He pulled himself up to her face and looked her in the eye, "Thanks for coming, I needed you."

"I'll do anything for you sailor."

"Same here, Cath, same here." He kissed her and then reached over for the room service menu. They perused it together as they lay naked under the sheet.

After their order was called in, they picked up the room a little, and put their clothes back on. Their order arrived, everything was set on the coffee table, the bellman tipped, they grabbed their plates of food, and sat out on the balcony watching the sunset on the water. It wasn't the same as sitting on the beach back at the house, but it worked.

After the sun had set and they were satiated, Catherine looked over to him in the darkness of the balcony, "You ready to talk about it?"

"You remember when 'Cena arrived and Kono found that sealed file on her?" His voice sounded old, even to himself.

"That seems like ages ago, but yeah."

"That file tells that she was a sixteen-year-old kid who was violently raped on Valentine's day."

"What?" Catherine asked, horrified by the words that had come out of Steve's mouth.

"The guy was a cop." Disgust evident in his voice.

"I don't even know what to say."

"He was sentenced to five years in prison. She wasn't going to tell me because she wanted to keep it in the past, but the night before Valentine's day, she had this nightmare. Catherine, I've never heard her scream like that, and I've heard her scream from a lot of nightmares. This scream was visceral."

Catherine reached over and took his hand in hers. She knew how incredibly protective Steve had become of his youngest sister and this helped explain part of it. He continued, "She finally told me everything and in March the guy was released on parole. I didn't tell you because I didn't feel like it was my secret to tell."

"I completely understand, I'm not mad. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't want anyone to know either."

"I took this week to do my Reserves training at Pearl." He paused, she remembered he had said something about it in their prior conversations. "Wednesday night the cops show up at Pearl, telling me 'Cena was attacked, and they need to take me to Queens hospital."

"How bad?"

"He tried to do it again, she fought against him, but this guy is a brick house. He threw her around like a ragdoll and she tried to fight against him. He choked her until she lost consciousness, but luckily some guy heard the commotion and Woods ran off."

There was nothing she could say that would help. She gently squeezed his hand and waited for him to continue. He took a pull from the Long Board he had with dinner. "They let her go home from the hospital that night, but she was so terrified she slept with the lights on. Cath, even after both her encounters with WoFat, she has never slept with the light on. I called Tommy, I didn't know how to help."

"She probably really appreciated that, and I bet he did too." She said, hoping to offer support of his decision.

"He was out the next day, but not before the bastard sent her a bouquet of roses taunting her. Claudia was there when that happened and 'Cena was absolutely shattered. I didn't know a person could throw up so much on an empty stomach."

She was starting to connect everything. He needed her to ground him throughout this entire thing and he also needed to know that he could never treat a woman that way. The first round of love making made complete sense now. He needed to know he could put her needs ahead of his own, but Steve had always been a generous lover. She knew he needed to be reminded that he wasn't one of the bad guys.

"Last night, she had that same scream from Valentine's. It took Tommy too long to wake her up and I'm just sick. I can't fix this, there is nothing I can do to take away the fear she's feeling."

"No, you can't fix it, but you can be there for her. She knows you're safe and she needs that right now."

"They caught him this morning and I went down to the station. He's a sick bastard. He tried to act like he didn't hold a knife to her throat and rape her. He said it was mutual, but I've seen the file from that night, I saw the pictures of her injuries, and it was caught on security camera."

Catherine's heartrate sped up a little at the thought of a knife being involved in the entire episode. Steve hadn't said that in the beginning of the story.

"It makes me absolutely sick what he did to her and what he said."

"He's going back to jail, right?"

"Yeah, and this time he won't be in a secure wing, he'll go to general pop."

"He won't be safe at all, will he." She questioned.

"No, and I can't say I'm upset about that." He said, almost disgusted with himself.

She heard it, and she jumped on it, "Don't you dare question how you feel. What he did to your sister is horrific and he deserves far worse than what he has been through."

"I know, I agree. I just question if everyone is like that or if some people are hardwired differently."

"Steven McGarrett, you listen to me." Her voice was serious, and immediately caught his attention. He could see her eyes in the darkness, "You are not a monster. That man is a monster. You would never hurt an innocent person intentionally, let alone force them to have sex against their will. You are one of the most compassionate and generous lovers, even when it's fast and hot. Don't you ever doubt yourself like that."

"Catherine, prior to Five-O, I killed people. That was my job." He said, pain in his voice, "I'm not so different than Woods."

"No Steve, you aren't a monster. You killed people that were dangerous to national security. The people you went after, they murdered people, they raped women, and they slaughtered children. You helped take the bad out of the world. I know you, never in your life have you ever considered killing someone who was good or raping someone. You have to see the difference."

"I want to kill him. I want to wrap my hands around his neck like he did 'Cena and watch the life disappear from him."

"I want to do it and I haven't even met the guy." Catherine responded, and then she continued, "I can't imagine what your sister is feeling. She has to be terrified, but then again, she's probably scarred for life. If that is your first exposure to sex, she probably never wants to have it again. That's why you were worried about Doris' words to 'Cena the last time I was in town."

Catherine was starting to put the pieces into place about her last visit. Doris hadn't realized the power of her words, and Catherine knew that it would be like pouring salt on the wound. Steve rubbed his hand across his face and took another pull of his beer, "Yeah, you're not wrong. Doris didn't realize how hurtful her words were, 'Cena tries so hard everyday to put Woods in the past and our mother accuses her of being a whore. Mary and I have slept with more people than she has, but Doris has this thing, she can't go easy on 'Cena."

"There's something more, what is it?"

"You said she's probably scarred for life, but something Woods said this morning is just eating away at me."

"What'd he say?" Catherine's voice soft, trying to exude calmness to her fiancé, who was riding the edge of fury and rage.

"He said, 'I got to make her bleed and she will always remember me for that.' He's so sick, but he isn't wrong. You remember the first person you ever had sex with? I do, and it wasn't by any means good, but I remember her."

"I think he's wrong." She paused, and tried to find the right words, "Yeah, you remember the first person you had sex with, but it's never good. What I always remember is the fun sex. The sex that makes your toes curl it's so good, like that time in Budapest."

"Or the time in New Dehli, when we were barely into the room before I had your sari on the floor." Steve remembered, his voice softening and his muscles relaxing as he thought about all the great sex him and Catherine had experienced together.

She had achieved her goal of calming him down and she figured, this would be a great way to initiate round three, "Oh yeah, but I honestly have to say my favorite time was in Kyoto on the futon, want to try and recreate that night?"

"Yes Ma'am!" he said, giving her a mock salute and enjoying this moment with the woman he loved.

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Tommy and Azucena had spent the day around the house. Tommy knew she wasn't ready to venture out into the real world yet. The excursion to the police station the day before had been difficult for her. He knew it was going to take time before she felt comfortable enough to leave the house, but he had two more nights with her and then he was going to have to head back to Japan. She understood, but it ate away at the both of them.

He spent a good part of the afternoon reading, while she worked away on her school work. He knew how important her studies were to her and she managed to finish writing two papers. They spent the early part of the evening out by the water, listening to the waves.

Tommy was leaning against the driftwood, facing the ocean. Azucena was laying between his legs, her back against his chest, and their hands resting on her stomach. They quietly watched the sunset and just enjoyed the tranquility of the evening. The longer they sat on the beach, the more relaxed he could feel her become.

"There it is." She said, a smile finding its way into her voice.

"There's what?" Tommy asked, slightly puzzled by what she was talking about.

"The first start of the night." She pointed to it, "Make a wish."

She closed her eyes and wished Tommy could be on the island full time. She missed him when he was gone and right now, he was the only thing really helping her keep it all together.

Tommy brushed some of her stray hairs from his face, and leaned forward, "What'dya wish for?"

"I can't tell you. If I tell you, it won't come true." He smiled at her response, it was so her. They continued to sit on the beach and watch the rest of the stars come out for the evening. It was such a simple activity, but it brought them both happiness.

When it finally was late enough, Tommy asked, "Ready to get some rest?"

"I hate sleeping right now." She said, laying her head softly on his chest and intertwining her fingers with his.

"It's going to take time, but we both know it will get better."

"I know, it's just getting there is the hard part."

"I don't disagree." He said, leaning forward and kissing the top of her head. They eventually stood up and made their way back to the house, hand in hand. They bid Mary goodnight and climbed the stairs.

Tommy stopped off in the bathroom to brush his teeth and was surprised when he walked into her room. The past few nights she had slept in pajama pants and a long sleeve t-shirt, but tonight she had donned a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top. He knew it was a major step for her and as much as he wanted to run his fingers over the bruises on her person and make sure she was okay, he maintained eye contact with her, "Big change."

She tried to downplay it, "Small steps."

"Still, it's a step forward. Ready to get some sleep?"

"Yeah." She answered, and he crawled into the bed and held his arms open for her. She curled up into his chest and relaxed the moment his arms wrapped around her. Things were improving.


	101. Chapter 101: Repercussions

**It's been way too long since I posted an update. Life was crazy with sickness, vacation, playing catch up after vacation. Too many things, but I will say that while I was recovering from my illness, I discovered** _ **Moonlight**_ **(Alex O'Loughlin, circa 2007-2008) and fell in love with it. Then I fell in love with some** _ **Moonlight**_ **fanfiction, which I'm still enjoying. Thanks for those who continue to read and to those that leave notes. I really appreciate all the support and will work to update more frequently. ~Avy73**

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Steve watched her reflection in the mirror from the window of the studio. She was so engrossed in the music and her movement, she hadn't seen him standing there for the last ten minutes. Her movements were fluid and full of grace as she plied and stretched at the barre. As magical as her movements were, he was concerned that he could see her shoulder blades sticking through the sweater that covered her arms or the fact when she arched backwards with her arm extended above her head, he could count each and every one of her ribs and he saw her hip bones.

Over the last few days, he had noticed the gauntness of her face. He had made the decision that morning to discuss it with her, but she had been up and out of the house by the time he returned from his swim. Tonight, in her leotard, leg warmers, and sweater, he realized how disturbingly frail she looked, and he was kicking himself for taking so long to notice.

The first week after the arrest of Woods, she stuck close to home. She spent most of her days focusing on her studies. WoFat had caused enough chaos in her plans for school, she wasn't going to allow Woods to wreck any further havoc. She encouraged Steve to go back to work. She felt safe in the house and she felt guilty for him having to miss Reserves to deal with everything. She wasn't about to let him miss work on her behalf.

She hadn't returned to campus until the second week after Woods. She was always up early and out of the house before he was out of the ocean. She hadn't run with him in the morning, but he chalked it up to her healing. The bruises had faded to barely noticeable, but he wasn't going to push her.

They were at the end of the third week now, and he was disturbed by how fragile she looked. He hadn't noticed everything straight away. It might have been because work had him pulling long hours. She had made dinner most nights like always and left him a plate in the fridge. She had always packaged up the leftovers and put them in the freezer. He never knew how much dinner she had eaten on those nights and this morning he had finally realized how many leftover meals were in the freezer.

He took a deep breath and pulled open the door to the studio. His sudden appearance pulled her from her concentration. She looked up at her brother, just off work, his badge and gun clipped to his belt.

"Steve?" Confusion clouding her face, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I got off work a little early today and thought we could hit up Kamekona's for dinner." He watched conflict flicker across her face. He had known her long enough, he could tell she wasn't thrilled about the idea.

"Come on, you've been here for hours and I'm buying." He tried to keep his tone light and upbeat. He knew she had been in the studio for the last three hours dancing. He had pinged her cell phone a few times that afternoon. He figured she had come here directly after her organic chemistry class.

She acquiesced, "Give me a few minutes to change?"

"Of course."

He watched as she walked over to the stereo, turned off her ipod, and unplugged it. She grabbed her bag and headed towards the locker rooms. He flipped through various emails on his phone while he waited for her.

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She walked into the locker room and quickly changed into street clothes, avoiding any glimpse in the mirror. Ever since that night, even after the bruises had healed, all she could see were the marks he had left on her body. Anyone else would see her pale flesh, but her eyes still saw the bruise that ran across her entire torso, the scratch marks down her chest, and the bruises around her neck. She had healed physically, but mentally, she was still fighting that night.

Even without looking in the mirror, she knew she had lost weight. Her jeans were terribly loose, and she could barely keep her shorts on. It wasn't that she was trying to lose weight, it was just the fact that food didn't appeal to her anymore and she felt safe in the studio. Running outside introduced too many variables into her world and Steve would make her stop running after a certain number of miles. She needed to sleep, and she knew exhausting herself in the studio would bring forth a decent night's rest. Everything else in her life felt like it was completely out of whack. Dancing calmed her and allowed her to find some sleep.

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Steve looked up when she returned from the locker room and realized how he had missed everything. He jogged his memory from the past few days and realized his sister had started wearing leggings with knee high boots and flowy tunics. She was always well dressed, but he realized these clothes hid the fact that she was unnaturally skinny.

They loaded her bike into the bed of the truck and drove to Kamekona's. Azucena quizzed him on his case that day and he share everything he could with her. She found his job fascinating, but in the same instance, she worried about him. His job was dangerous.

They approached the food truck and Kamekona greeted them in his usual jovial manner. The three of them exchanged pleasantries, placed their orders, and the siblings found a picnic bench in the shade to wait for their food. Steve was hesitant, he wasn't certain how to bring this up, so he started slow, "Talk to Tommy today?"

"Yeah, in between classes. He's good." She answered, joy in her face. Steve knew Tommy made her life better, just like Catherine did for him. It had been almost three weeks since Tommy and Catherine left the island and each of the siblings coped in their own way.

Tommy and Azucena called each other every day, even if it was just to say goodnight or good morning. Tommy needed the piece of mind that his girlfriend was safe and recovering from the Woods ordeal. Azucena needed to hear his voice and as much as she worked to overcome the Woods ordeal, she struggled. Tommy knew things were difficult for her, but he was proud of her progress. She left the house and went to classes but was always home before it got dark out. He knew she was dancing, but not to what extent.

Steve, on the other hand, didn't get to talk with Catherine every day, but he cherished their calls or texts. Between various phone calls and research on the internet, they had a list of possible locations for their wedding. Steve would have preferred a ceremony in the backyard, but he wanted Catherine to have the deciding vote.

"You talk to Catherine lately?" Azucena quizzed her brother.

"Yeah, she's doing good. She's trying to determine when she will take her next round of R&R."

"Is she going to come here or are you going to meet her somewhere?"

"We haven't decided yet." Steve responded, as their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Kamekona and their dinner. Kamekona spoke the words both siblings were dreading as he placed the plate of food in front of Azucena, "Little Sistah, I gave you extra shrimp. It looks like McGarrett isn't even feeding you."

Steve was thankful Kamekona brought it up, and he could see the flush of embarrassment wash over his sister, but she hid it well with her mid-western hospitality, "Thank you Kamekona, that was very generous of you."

"Just trying to help keep some meat on your bones." Said the friendly Hawaiian, as he walked away from the table. Steve watched as she pretended it didn't happen. She picked up her plastic fork and began eating. Steve took this moment to share his feelings, "I'm worried about you."

He watched his sister's reaction, her eyes grew big for a moment, and then she nodded her head. He knew she was acknowledging his feelings. He saw the awkward smile spread across her face; she was uncomfortable. "Not certain you need to be. I'm perfectly fine."

"'Cena, how long did you dance today?"

"Three hours this afternoon." She answered, knowing she danced longer when she didn't feel safe running. Running and dancing had been her stress releases for so long, that she honestly lost track of time when she did either.

"How many hours this morning?" Steve asked quietly, already knowing the answer. Once he had realized the amount of leftover meals in the freezer, he pinged her cellphone and realized where she was.

"Two." She answered, sheepishly. She knew where he was going with this, he was going to tell her dancing that many hours wasn't healthy.

"I get it. You're dancing so you can sleep, but kiddo, this isn't healthy." Genuine concern and caring in his voice. He watched as her eyes searched the horizon to avoid looking him in the eye. "'Cena, I'm not mad, I'm just very concerned. When you were dancing today, I could count every single rib and your hip bones."

Her face was stoic, it had been since the week after the latest encounter. She had shut down all emotion, and hadn't cried since then. It concerned him as well, but not as much as how frail she had become. As she continued to look out over the water; she spoke, her voice soft, "Steve, when I dance, it's just me and I feel safe. I lose track of time and I feel free. I don't have to look over my shoulder."

"That's a great thing. You need to hold onto that feeling and eventually you will find it in other parts of your world. I know a few weeks ago he stole your sense of security and every day is a struggle. I also realize I haven't been around a lot lately. Work has been pretty crazy these past few weeks, but I'm going to make a conscientious effort to be around more."

"I don't need a babysitter." She snapped back, anger flashed in her eyes as she consumed another bite of dinner.

"I didn't mean it that way." He answered, realizing it had come out condescending. "What I'm trying to say, and doing a terrible job at it, is that I miss running with you in the morning. I miss hearing what is going on in your world. I've enjoyed sharing our lives with each other over the past year and I feel like Woods messed that up."

He watched her eyes soften, he knew she missed the same things he missed. He also knew the shame that had caused her to clam up and avoid him. She looked down at her dinner and her eyes flicked back to him, "I've missed it too."

"Want to run with me tomorrow morning?" he asked, hoping she would say yes.

"That would be nice."

"Five miles okay?"

"Sounds good." She smiled at him. He could tell this smile was genuine.

"We can get loco moco for breakfast at Rainbow afterwards." He wanted to make sure she ate and loco moco would be full of protein and fat, both things her body needed at this moment.

"After we get cleaned up." She stipulated. That was the sister he knew, laying down the rules.

"After we get cleaned up." He agreed and took another bite of his dinner.

"Thanksgiving is next week." She shared with him.

"Yeah and surprisingly Mary will be home for it. Should we do dinner at noon or at 6?" he asked, remembering the Pressgroves always did Thanksgiving dinner at noon.

"Let's do it at 6." She answered, knowing that him and Mary had grown up doing Thanksgiving dinner in the evening, "But can we do a long run that morning?"

"Yeah, and a match of touch football with the team afterwards." He responded.

"We need to build a menu and grocery list."

Steve agreed, and the siblings discussed their Thanksgiving menu. Before dinner was over, they were debating the merits of canned cranberry sauce versus homemade. It was determined that both kinds would be served.


	102. Chapter 102: Siblings

**For those that continue to read, thank you so much. There was a longer than anticipated pause in this story and I hope to continue to write more regularly. Life has just become so busy. This chapter is short, but I wanted to show some sibling interaction, I don't feel like we get enough of that sometimes. ~Avy73**

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It had been a long week and Steve was ready for the four-day holiday weekend of Thanksgiving. He was just hoping that the residents of Oahu didn't murder anyone, and he could enjoy the full holiday weekend. He climbed out of his truck and ambled up the sidewalk to the front porch, he knew at least one of his sister's was home, as Azucena's bike was standing on the front porch.

He unlocked the front door and the sound of his sister's voice carried through the house. He stood in the entryway, listening to her voice. It was moments like this, when she was unguarded, that he got to hear her beautiful voice. In these rare occurrences, he felt like he was spying on her, but he loved listening to her voice. Azucena was singing along with Rod Stewart regarding the rhythm of his heart.

He slowly walked into the kitchen and watched her from the doorway. Her red hair was piled on top of her head, her sleeves were pushed up her arms, and flour covered the front of her apron. When she realized he was in the house and she looked up at him, he could see the patches of flour on her forehead and cheek.

"How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know you know every word to this song. Rod Stewart fan?" He answered, as he walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer.

"Jack was." She said, with a wistful look in her eyes, "This was one of those albums we could sing at the top of our lungs together in the kitchen. I actually like his music."

Steve liked learning these little tidbits of information about Azucena. He had walked into the house a few times while her music playing, and he was constantly surprised by what she listened to. "Which pie is in the oven?"

"Pumpkin, sweet potato is sitting on the counter, and this is the crust for the pecan pie." She answered, pointing to various dishes spread across the countertop of the kitchen.

"No cherry pie?" he asked, teasing her that she wasn't making her favorite type of pie.

"It's being debated in my brain at the moment." she shared, a small laugh in her voice. He knew she liked to bake; it was a stress release for her, but it also connected to her family. She lived in the kitchen with Jack and Clara and he knew this was a way for her to be close to them near the holiday.

"Can I help?"

She giggled, appreciating his offer but knowing it wouldn't be helpful. "Why don't you tell me about your day. Any big case?"

He settled on one of the bar stools at the island and watched her knead the dough in front of her, "No, we just reviewed cold cases. Danny might have picked up on something, but we are planning to pick it up on Monday, hoping nothing comes up before then."

"Fair enough, you guys deserve a break."

"Mary home yet?"

"Not yet."

"How were classes today?" he asked.

"It was an easy day, everyone is ready for the holiday break, professors included."

"I get it. It was like pulling teeth to keep Kono from running out at lunch and surfing the whole afternoon."

"Even with all the rain?" she asked, using her head to gesture towards the drizzle outside the kitchen window.

"That woman surfs in all weather. Nothing stops her." He watched his sister, something wasn't right. It was like she wanted to say something but didn't want to at the same time. "Something bothering you?"

"You know what today is?" she asked, wondering if he had connected the dots. Her mind had wandered in the middle of her statistics lecture. When she remembered, her heart honestly jumped a few beats. It was hard to believe it was a year ago today that WoFat had tortured them in North Korea

"Yeah, I remembered during my drive to work this morning." He said, "You doin' okay?"

"I'm good. It just seems like a lifetime ago, after everything we have been through this past year. You okay?"

"Yeah." He confirmed, knowing it was eating at her. He wasn't surprised that she was bothered by the memory, before he could say anything further the front door opened, "Happy Thanksgiving!"

They both looked at Mary standing in the doorway in her flight attendant uniform, pulling her suitcase behind her.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" they both replied in unison. Mary wandered into the kitchen as the oven timer went off. Steve stood up, pulled the pie from the oven, and place the sweet potato pie in the oven.

"It smells wonderful in here." Mary complimented, as she pulled a Longboard from the fridge.

"Thanks."

"Are we still doing dinner at 6 tomorrow night?" asked Mary.

"That's the plan." Steve said, as he took a pull from his beer.

"Good, because I kind of invited mom." Cautious of her sibling's reaction. Azucena was the first to speak up, and her response surprised both the siblings, "Makes sense, it's a holiday and she is our mother."

"You're okay with it?" questioned Mary, surprise in her voice.

"She's your mom too, and it is a holiday. If Jack and Clara were alive, I would invite them. It's fine by me." Azucena said, as she placed fork marks in the pie crust.

"As long as she behaves, I'm fine with her being here." Answered Steve, partially conflicted. He had wanted to invite her, but he was also concerned about how everything would play out with the family dynamics. Azucena had confided in him the prior week that she had been avoiding Claudia ever since the Woods incident. That was why she had leaving for campus before Steve was out of the water every morning. She didn't want to risk Claudia showing up and having to discuss everything.

"And she's bringing Joe." Said Mary, confessing to the whole story. Steve wasn't surprised that Joe was coming as well, Doris needed someone in her corner. He still thought of Joe as a father figure, but his trust in Joe was all but lost. "Fine by me."

"'Cena?" questioned Mary.

"Works for me." She said, pushing down her emotions. She didn't trust either Claudia or Joe, but she had siblings who loved these people. Mary took the response at face value, but Steve could see the conflict in their sister. He understood her struggle with both Doris and Joe, but he knew she was being a team player and allowing Mary to have a holiday with as many of her family members as she could.

Mary visibly relaxed after the discussion on Joe and Doris. She had honestly been dreading the impending conversation for the last three days.

Azucena changed the subject, "So the dance department at the university is putting on _The Nutcracker_ next month."

"Are you dancing in it?" Mary asked, thankful for the change in subject.

"Yeah, but you guys don't have to go." She said, giving her siblings an out. She had debated saying anything, but she knew if she didn't tell them and they found out, they would be hurt. Therefore, she thought it best to tell them they didn't have to attend.

"Of course we are going to come!" Steve said, encouraging his youngest sister. He loved watching her dance in the studio. Knowing she had danced _The Nutcracker_ many times, he had to ask, "Did you get the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy?"

"I actually didn't try out for any role, but our instructor volunteered me for one of the Arabian dancers."

"Isn't that a solo performance?" asked Mary.

"It's me and a guy named Kerem. It's part of the second act." Answered Azucena, as she poured the pecan pie filling into the pie crust.

"Are you excited?" asked Mary, thrilled to see her sister finally dance.

"Eh, I'm mixed on it, honestly." She said, as she started to wipe up the mess she had created on the island. Steve knew that she didn't like when attention was focused on her and he guessed that was why she didn't try out for any of the roles.

He knew she wouldn't be able to talk her way out of the role if it was assigned to her by an instructor. This was going to be a stressor for her, and after everything they had just gone through, she didn't need any more stress in her life. Steve wanted to be encouraging, "You're gonna do great."

"Thanks." She said, hoping this wouldn't be a complete disaster. The choreography was hard, and she could already feel herself beginning to freak out just thinking about an auditorium of people staring at her. The last few months had been difficult enough; she wasn't ready for this. She decided to change the subject, "What are we doing for dinner tonight?"

"I'd suggest Kamekona's, but the rain might ruin that." Offered Mary, honestly disappointed. As much as she had been looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner all week, she was also really wanting some garlic shrimp.

"How about we order pizza and watch a movie. Start the holiday off right." Answered Steve, as he looked at each of his sisters, "I mean, we are going to be cooking a lot tomorrow."

"Works for me." Replied Mary.

"I'm good with it," Azucena answered, "but no anchovies."

"Spam it is." Replied Steve, teasing his youngest sister.

"You're so gross." She grimaced, as she continued to wipe down the island.

"I'll order the usual. You two pick out a movie, but nothing sappy. And not _The Notebook_."

"Not _The Notebook._ " Mocked Mary, as she wandered towards the living room.

The siblings debated movie choices and finally settled on _Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark_. Before the movie was over, Mary was passed out on her end of the sofa, while Steve and Azucena soaked up every moment of the movies.


	103. Chapter 103: Thanksgiving

**Please forgive any typos and spacing issues. My subscription to Microsoft Word expired and I refuse to pay the $100.00 a year they are charging to renew my subscription, so I'm back to typing in Wordpad. It's dreadfully painful after working in Word for all these years. If you're still reading this, thank you so much. I know my writing has been sporadic lately, but I'm hoping to get back into regular writing. For those of you that leave notes, they mean more to me than you will ever know. Thank you so much!**

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Steve sighted his youngest sister sitting on the beach, waiting for him. Over the past week, he was thankful for their morning runs together. Woods had disturbed the equilibrium they had created, but after running together this past week, life was starting to get back to normal. He made it a point to eat breakfast with her and most evenings, dinner. He knew she was making a concentrated effort to eat more and throttle back on the exercising. He could see that she had gained a little weight, but not nearly enough.

As he trudged out of the water, he asked, "How far today?"

"Want to go eight?" questioning if he was really going to be up for it. She knew there was a long day ahead of them, and even though she didn't plan to play in the family match of flag football, she knew she would be exhausted before it was all said and done.

"Sounds good." He said, as he toweled off and sat down to put his shoes on, "Mary awake?"

"Haven't seen her yet." She replied, as they both stood up and ran around the side of the house. They fell into an easy pace that allowed them to talk, but Steve knew it would take a mile before Azucena talked much. He mentally compared his sisters, as they jogged down the street. They weren't exactly morning people. Mary was the late riser amongst the two of them and exerting any form of energy before her morning coffee was sacrilegious.

Azucena on the other hand, would rise with the sun, but she required action to wake up. Movement pulled her from her sleepy haze. Once she started moving, she never seemed to stop. Whether she was studying, reading, dancing, cooking, or running, she never seemed to stop and just relax. Steve was embarrassed to admit that it had taken him a year to realize this. He knew if she relaxed and let her mind wander, her world could become an ugly, scary place.

He needed conversation before his mind continued to focus on the unpleasant, "You up for flag football today?"

"Can't," she replied, as they rounded a corner and began climbing up the neighborhood hill. "Nutcracker is in three weeks. I can't accidently get injured."

"Never thought about that." Answered Steve, slightly disappointed that she wasn't playing, but understanding the importance dance played in her life.

"It's all good, was never a big football fan anyways."

"You going to come to the park with us?"

"I'm thinking I might stay home and enjoy the alone time before everyone arrives. There's going to be a lot of people." The thought of everyone in their house honestly overwhelmed her. She was still healing emotionally and mentally after the Woods encounter. She knew she would be for a while, but she needed a little time to prep mentally for all their friends and family.

"Yeah," he said, hesitant if he should say anything further, "you sure you're okay with Doris and Joe coming to Thanksgiving?"

"Mary wants them there and it's something that is really important to her, so it will be fine." She responded, answering the question without really answering the question.

"That's not what I asked." He said gently, knowing she was avoiding a proper response.

"Steve, our lives are going to be forever complicated by the choices Claudia and Joe made. I honestly just want to forget about it and move on, but I can't because Claudia is always going to be a part of my life. The only way I know how to handle it is to just deal with it. However, it's not exactly like I'm going to intentionally seek them out at dinner tonight. If we are being completely honest, I'm probably going to avoid them like the plague."

That was the sister he knew, spilling her guts to him in the most honest manner. Danny would be proud of her rambling. The only thing she was missing were Danny's over the top hand gestures, but she made up for it by unknowningly increasing her pace. Steve had become accustom to the changes in speed when she was ranting. He smiled to himself as he hustled to keep pace with her.

"That's probably a healthy approach to take."

He wasn't surprised when she changed the topic of conversation on him, "I'm sorry Catherine couldn't make it out for the holiday. It would have been nice to see her."

"Yeah, it would have, but she's planning on coming for Christmas. So I'm looking forward to that."

The siblings continued their mundane conversation for the rest of their run and returned to the house to find Mary curled up in the corner of the sofa with a coffee mug in hand. Steve could tell she was barely two sips into the coffee when they arrived home because she merely nodded her head at them when they both greeted her.

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The house was dreadfully quiet after Steve and Mary left to meet everyone for the flag football match. Azucena was thankful for the quiet, as she knew the evening was going to be loud and full of people, but another part of her detested the silence. It made it easier for her mind to wander back to the previous Thanksgiving.

Her first Thanksgiving without Jack and her first experience of being tortured by WoFat. She was fairly certain those two memories shouldn't go together, but unfortunately they did. She tried to keep her mind from traveling down that road, but no matter what she did, her mind ended up there every time.

Her first thought was to go sit out on the beach and listen to the sound of the waves. That always relaxed her, and she hoped it would take her mind off of the past year and the unpleasant memories of the prior Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, watching the waves roll in and feeling the ocean breeze waft over her didn't do anything but relax her. Her relaxed mind continued to think of Jack and how much she missed him.

When she realized sitting on the beach wasn't going to change her train of thought, she decided her hair needed to be done. She wandered into the bathroom she shared with Mary, selected an upbeat playlist from her iPod, and began making a crown of braids. She found herself focusing on every single stray hair and how to tame it into a beautiful updo. Normally she wouldn't be so vain, but she needed to focus on something and this was working.

When every hair had been perfectly placed, she drifted to the kitchen and began making the dough for homemade dinner rolls. Her playlist followed her into the kitchen and as she kneaded the dough, she lost herself in the music. She sang along to every song at the top of her lungs.

She smiled to herself, as she remembered Jack and their many singing sessions in the kitchen of the diner on slow evenings.

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The siblings had managed to pull together an impressive Thanksgiving feast. The late afternoon and early evening hours had been spent laughing, cooking, and getting cleaned up. Steve was descending the stairs when the first of their guests arrived, it was Lou Grover.  
Steve opened the door, and invited Lou into the house, "Glad you could make it man."

"Well, with Rene and the kids back in Chicago and me being on call, I was thankful for the invitation." answered Lou, who had a six pack of beer in one hand and vegetable tray in the other.

As Steve ushered him into the house, Mary came down the stairs to the livingroom, "Lou, I'd like you to meet my other sister, Mary."

The two exchanged pleasantries, while Steve took the vegetables and beer into the kitchen. Steve situated the beer in the fridge while Azucena was arranging deviled eggs on a platter. Azucena watched her brother disappear to the living room as the doorbell rang a second time. She heard footsteps and knew they weren't Mary's, she looked up to see Lou standing in the doorway, "Captain Grover, so glad you could join us this evening."

"Thank you, Azucena." he answered, hesitant that he was pronouncing her name correctly.

"Can I get you something to drink? We have water, iced tea, beer, and wine." she asked, the waitress in her past life coming out.

"Iced tea would be nice." he said, as he watched the young woman flutter around the kitchen. Lou's mind flashed back to the early morning in the police precinct, when he had to pull Steve off of the piece of trash in the interrogation room. Lou pushed that memory down, that wasn't what he wanted to think about Steve's sister. He decided to talk about the last time he had seen the youngest sister, "The last time I ate here, you made an amazing spread of food, and your brother took credit for it. Did he help today?"

"He definitely pulled his weight today." replied Azucena with a giant smile.

"Did you make those?" Lou asked, pointing to the deviled eggs she had just finished arranging.

"Sure did, I think there's an extra one in the pan. I won't tell anyone if you want to be my Quality Control agent." she responded, with a giggle in her voice.

"Don't mind if I do." He picked up the lone egg, and popped it in his mouth. It was good, Steve's kid sister could cook, but he had already known that. "My that is good. Pickle juice?"

"Relish," she responded, "gives it a little crunch."

"Where did you learn to cook? Last time I was here, everything was incredible and I'm thinking dinner tonight will be the same."

"My foster parents ran a diner. They taught me everything I know about cooking."

Lou caught the words 'foster parents"; but before he could say anything, they were both startled by the little, brown haired, whirlwind that bounded through the kitchen, "Auntie 'Cena, I missed you at the football game!"

The little girl wrapped her arms around the young woman's waist. A smile spread across Azucena's face, enjoying the love she recieved from Grace. The little girl pulled back, "Uncle Steve said you couldn't play because you're dancing in The Nutcracker in three weeks and you can't accidently get hurt."

"He's right, I am dancing in it." Azucena answered, as she squatted down to talk with Grace at eye level.

"I asked Danno if we could come see you dance. He said we could."

"Well, that is exciting news. I feel special knowing you and Danno will be in the audience." she said, as she pushed down the anxiety of dancing in front of an audience of people.

"You're dancing in the Nutcracker?" asked Claudia, as she and Joe walked into the kitchen with two more pies and three bottles of wine. Azucena looked at her mother and Joe, feeling the walls of the kitchen close in on her, "Yeah, it's for a class. I didn't actually try out."

"What part?" asked Joe, trying to make conversation.

This was beginning to be too much, all the attention in this tiny room was turned to her. It was in this moment she was so grateful for Grace. The little voice was so excited to share the news, "Uncle Steve said she was dancing the Arabian Dance, but I don't know what that means."

Azucena took this opportunity to change the subject. She gestured to the various individuals in the kitchen, "Captain Lou Grover, this is our mother Doris McGarrett and a friend of the family, Joe White."

They exchanged greetings, and Azucena offered to take the pies from Joe. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Longboard." he responded, while Claudia chatted with Lou. "I think your mother would like a glass of wine."

Azucena pulled a beer from the fridge and handed it to Joe, along with an empty wine glass, as the wine was closer to him. She changed her focus to Grace and helped the little girl determine if she was going to drink lemonade or water. Lemonade was the final answer.

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Almost everyone at dinner knew one another, with the exception Lou, Doris, and Joe. Lou was enjoying talking to Kamekona and hearing about his future business ventures. When Danny overheard the next expansion involved a helicopter tour, he couldn't contain himself, "Helicopters? Someone is going to give you a license to fly?"

"Don't worry brah, McGarrett is going to teach me to fly." explained Kamekona, in his usual laid back manner.

"Who in their right mind thinks this is a good idea? Have you seen Steve drive? It's terrifying." Danny turned his rant to Steve, "And you, you are going to give flying lessons to the same man that tried to play in the Widow's and Orphans Poker Tournament with fake money? This is just a disaster in the making."

Kono laughed at Danny's rambling, while Steve tried to calm Danny, "We are going to start out on a flight simulator and once he has mastered that, then we will work on being in the actual air."

"Ladies," Danny said, looking at Steve's sisters who were sitting at opposite ends of the table, "You're brother has a death wish."

"I'm pretty sure we knew that, I mean, how many times has Steve come home all battered and bandaged from a long day at the office." said Mary, in her 'isn't this obvious' voice.

"Or better yet, when he allows me to patch him up." answered Azucena, with a giggle in her voice "There are days I wonder if he intentionally got injured, just so I'd have someone to practice my medical skills on."

"I will say McGarrett," interupted Lou, "It's one thing to teach people sutures on a banana, but on your own skin without pain medicine is a whole other level of teaching."

"When is all of this happening?" asked a shocked Malia, as she knew how difficult of a patient Steve could be.

"I don't know what they're talking about Malia." Steve said, with a giant grin on his face, "You are the only doctor I go to to get taken care of."

"That's a true statement," agreed Chin, his smile stretching ear to ear. "Azucena isn't a doctor. So he isn't technically lying."

"Steven McGarrett, the next time you get hurt and let a student practice on you, I'm going to have you committed in the psych department." Malia threatened with a sparkle in her eye.

"Oh I can't wait." said Danny, fully intending to rat out his partner the next time something happened.

"Hey, let's not take away my guinea pig. I still have a lot of schooling to get through!" exclaimed Azucena.

"She's secretly hoping you need an appendectomy." confided Joe, and everyone laughed. This behavior continued throughout the entire meal and by the end of the night, everyone's stomach hurt, from too much food and laughter.

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Azucena filled the sink with hot soapy water and started to wash the dishes by hand, handing them off to Mary to be rinsed and dried. Doris felt compelled to join her daughters in the kitchen, while the others continued to talk in various parts of the house. The system was quite efficient, as Doris knew where all the dishes belonged. Not much had changed in the kitchen over the last twenty years.

Mary rambled, much to Azucena's relief. However, Doris found the one lull in the conversation to direct her questions towards Azucena, "So you're dancing in the Nutcracker, you must be fully recovered from when I last saw you."

Azucena had known this was going to get dredged up. She definitely didn't want the holiday ruined by thoughts of Woods and what happened, but Doris couldn't leave it in the past. Azucena thought it would be best to quickly address her question and move on, "Fully healed."

"And dancing in front of an audience full of people in a few weeks. When is the production? I would like to come and see it."

Azucena closed her eyes, dancing in front of an audience was bad enough. She knew her mother would find some flaw in her movements and bring it up in conversation afterwards. More than anything, Azucena didn't want her there. It would be fine with Steve and Mary, even Danny and Grace, but her mother would critique everything about her movements. She had done it when she was a child and Azucena had been thankful that Jack and Clara never had.

She prepared to open her mouth, but was interrupted by Steve popping into the kitchen holding her cellphone towards her, "'Cena, your phone was ringing. It's Tommy."

She immediately pulled her hands from the soapy water, dried them on a dish towel, took the phone, and vanished into the backyard.

"Happy Thanksgiving." she answered, elated to hear his voice.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Red." he responded back. She could hear something in his voice. It was more than the holiday happiness.

"Did you guys do anything special for Thanksgiving over there?" she asked, curious if there had been something to mark the day for them.

"We all had dinner with our Commanding Officer. It was a nice gesture, they served the usual fixings for Thanksgiving, so it wasn't too bad. Wished I could have been with you and everyone there."

"It would have been nice to have you here. There's a lot of people, but everyone is getting along well."

"Even Claudia?" he questioned, knowing she had reservations about her mother being at Thanksgiving.

"She behaved as well as can be expected. There was a crowd, so that helped."

He understood what she was telling him. Claudia wasn't going to misbehave in front of an audience. That was the saving grace about a large Thanksgiving, Claudia had to be on her best behavior. He decided it was time to spill the good news.

"So I didn't tell you this, but a few months ago I put in for a transfer."

"Oh, that's cool. Did you request somewhere fun? Or somewhere closer to home?"

"I picked Hawaii and I found out about two hours ago that I got it. I'll be in Hawaii in two weeks."

"WHAT? ARE YOU SERIOUS?" she squealed into the phone.

"Yeah, I didn't want to say anything until I found out that I got it."

"Oh Tommy, I'm so happy to hear that!" She could feel happiness and joy overtake her entire body.

"I'll be on the opposite end of the island, but that's not a big deal."

"Are you kidding, you're going to be on the same island, in the same country! The bus system works just fine. Oh Tommy, I'm so happy."

"Me too Red, me too." he said, relishing in the sound of her joy. "I hate to do this, but I have to get back to work. I just wanted to share the news with you."

"Sounds good, be safe, love you."

"Love you too Red. Talk tomorrow."

Azucena stood on the lanai looking out at the sun setting over the water. She reflected on the fact that her stomach was full and her heart was happy. Life was good.


	104. Chapter 104: Christmas Decorating

**This chapter is short and total fluff, but I know where the rest of the story is going. However, it's been ages since I posted an update and I thought this might tide some people over until I can get through the next full chapter. Life is a little hectic, but good, so no complaints here. There is a reader that drops a note every once in a while to let me know they are still reading and waiting and I want to tell you THANK YOU SO MUCH! I really appreciate your nudges and it helps me realize there is more to write. Thanks again. ~Avy73**

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Steve was honestly surprised when he woke up the next morning and realized he was the last one out of bed. He walked into the kitchen to find Azucena frosting cinnamon rolls, while Mary sat at the island chatting away. Mary turned to their brother, "Morning, Lazybones."

"Morning." he responded as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He looked at his youngest sister, while he pulled the butter tub out of the fridge,

"Rough night?"

Azucena knew what he was asking, and she wasn't going to lie to him, but decided downplaying it would be easier for all parties, "Couldn't sleep."

He scooped out a blob of butter and stirred it into his coffee. The disgusted look on Mary's face told him she struggled with his addition to his morning beverage, but she wasn't content with just a grimace, "No matter how many times I watch you do that, it's still disgusting."

"This coming from the woman who puts mayonnaise on her pizza?" Steve replied, redirecting the conversation to Mary's obscure habits.

"You both are giant weirdos." volunteered Azucena, as she tried to redirect the conversation between her siblings.

"Says the woman who puts ranch on everything." teased Steve.

"It's a universal condiment."

"Mashed potatoes and ranch dressing, really?" countered Steve.

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it."

"What's the plan for the day?" asked Mary, trying to determine the timing of when she should share her big news.

"I have to meet Kerem on campus at 2, but other than that, my whole day is free." offered Azucena, as she began cutting the cinnamon rolls.

"Unless I get called in, I have the next three days off." Steve responded, as he took three small plates from the cupboard. Mary pulled forks out of the silverware drawer and said, "Well, let's drag down the Christmas tree and decorate it."

The siblings agreed on the activity and everyone enjoyed a lazy breakfast in the kitchen, followed by a morning of decorating the Christmas tree in their pajamas. When they were all collapsed on the sofa and living room chairs admiring their work, Mary spoke up, "So, I have some news."

Steve and Azucena turned their focus to Mary, waiting for her to share. Steve could see the emotion creeping into Mary's face. He knew his sister and whatever she was about to tell them was going to make her cry in about three seconds. Mary swiped at her eye, but managed to miss the tear, "I found a place and I move in on the 28th of December."

"Mary, that's great news!" offered Azucena, understanding why her sister was tearing up.

"I'm really happy for you Mary." Steve said, "But you know you can stay here as long as you want. It's your house too."

"I know, and honestly I'm really excited to move into this place. It's got a great view of the ocean, a cozy lanaii, and the price is incredible. But it's been so much fun living with you guys that I'm going to miss this."

"Well, you know we will come and visit you." offered Steve.

"Maybe I'll even crash over a few nights, when Catherine comes to visit." Azucena said with a giant smirk plastered across her face.

"I'd like that." replied Mary.

"I would too." offered Steve, partially joking and partially serious.

"I know you would." Azucena countered, with a laugh, "But seriously, this is a big deal and we're super happy for you."

"You know you are always welcome here and there will always be a warm meal available."

"I see our brother is offering up your cooking services." teased Mary.

"Hey, I cook." countered Steve, slightly offended.

"Yes, you do cook." consoled Azucena, "It's just something to do since I haven't been working lately."

"No rush on that, you go back when you are ready." Steve responded. He knew his sister was working to overcome the attack in October and he wasn't about to rush her into going back to work.

The siblings relaxed the rest of the morning. Their was no rush and they were content to enjoy each other's company.


	105. Chapter 105: The Nutcracker

**Thanks for your patience as I worked through this chapter. It took longer than I would have liked, but I like how it worked out. It is hard to describe dancing and much easier to see it, so if you want to see what I was pulling inspiration from search "Arabian Dance Nutcracker" on YouTube and watch the "Arabian Variation" by the Moscow Ballet. Incredible talent. Thank you for continuing to read and for the lovely notes. They just make my day. ~Avy73**

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Tommy had arrived on the island three days prior, but this was the first time he was going to actually be able to see Azucena in person. They had talked on the phone everyday, but this was his first actual day off and he had promised he would meet her at the Wailana Coffee House for breakfast. He knew it was a big day for her, as tonight was The Nutcracker.

He took in the sight of her, as she walked into the restaurant. He loved when she wore her hair loose and it flowed behind her. She was dressed in jeans, a green and blue flannel shirt layered over a black camisole, and knee high boots. He knew she had become acclimated to the weather, but he didn't think it was nearly chilly enough for her outfit.

The moment he looked into her dazzling eyes, he noticed her pronounced cheekbones. He realized she had lost more weight since the Woods incident in October. The shirt was keeping her warm and concealing the fact that she was too skinny.

He stood up from the booth and wrapped his arms around her spindly frame and inhaled deeply; he had missed her smell. She smelled of sunshine and clothes that had been dried on the line. Maybe it was all the memories of growing up together, but when he closed his eyes and inhaled her scent, that's what he thought of, "God, I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." she whispered into his ear.

As he held her body to his, he could feel that she wasn't as soft as the last time he had held her. He was afraid of this, but understood exactly why he felt the ribs in her back and her pelvic bones pressing into his stomach. He knew better than to say anything, it would make her self-conscious and he knew she was still healing emotionally.

She pulled out of the hug first, just as he suspected she would. She reached up and cupped his face in her hands, stretching up on her toes, and kissed him. It was a simple, chaste kiss, but he knew it was because they were in public. She didn't care what others thought of her, but she wasn't raised to make a spectacle of herself.

She slid into the booth across the table from him, "Did you have any trouble getting here?"

"Not at all, the bus system works really well and you gave me great directions."

"Glad to hear it. I'm so excited for you to try this place, they have the best banana, macadamia nut pancakes!" He loved the pure excitement in her voice and the giant smile stretching from ear to ear. "Well, it sounds like I know what I'm going to order. What are you having?"

"Probably the same thing." she responded, as the server approached their table. Their orders were taken, the server returned with coffee and tea, and then left them to their conversation.

"You ready for tonight?" Tommy asked, as he took a sip from the hot, bitter beverage. He watched as conflict flickered across her face. She shut it down, as quickly as she could, "As ready as I can be."

"You're not selling me on it." he countered, as he set his coffee cup on the table.

"The choreography is difficult, but we put a lot of time and energy into practicing it. I think everything will be fine."

"When it comes to dancing, I've never heard you use the word 'fine' to describe anything you've done. I've heard 'terrible', 'fantastic', and even 'spectacular', but never 'fine.' Why are you downplaying this?"

He knew her too well, and he cut right to the bone in his question. She rubbed her hands over her face and then rested her fists under her chin, "Claudia is coming tonight and no matter how smashing we do on this number, she is going to find something to pick at."

"Then why did you invite her?"

"I didn't." she paused, taking a sip from her tea, "Mary called me this morning to tell me that her flight out of New York got cancelled because of the snow storm battering the east coast. In the same conversation, she informed me that she had invited Claudia to the show last weekend. So, that's awesome."

Tommy picked up on the sarcasm in Azucena's voice. He knew she didn't like surprises and this wasn't exactly a positive surprise, "Well then, who cares what Claudia thinks? She hasn't watched you dance over the last twelve years. She hasn't watched as you pirouette more times in a row than I can count. She wasn't there when you earned your pointe shoes. You are an incredible dancer, you always have been. Don't let her presence make you doubt yourself."

She appreciated his words of support and encouragement. She was truly blessed to have Tommy in her life, "How did I get such a wonderful boyfriend?"

"Just lucky, I guess." he said, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

The two enjoyed their breakfast together and spent the balance of their morning in a small park near the ocean. They found a bench, Azucena curled up ito his side, and they listened as the waves rolled in. They talked of future plans now that they were both on the island and just enjoyed spending time together.

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Steve stood in the lobby of the campus theater, waiting for Danny and Grace to show up. He was scrolling through emails from work when he heard a voice that shouldn't be in the theater, Doris. "Steven."

Steve closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This wasn't a good thing. He turned around to the sound of the voice, and saw Doris and Joe dressed for an evening at the ballet. "Doris, Joe, I didn't know you were coming tonight."

"Mary told me the date and time of the show. I haven't watched Azucena dance since she was a little girl. I wasn't going to miss this opportunity."

Steve took in her words, and kept his thoughts of her abandoning her youngest child to himself. Joe interjected into the conversation before it could go down a dangerous path, "I haven't seen The Nutcracker in over twenty years. I thought this sounded like a relaxing evening."

"Well, the more the merrier." Steve said, with an enthusiasm he didn't exactly feel. He was relieved when over Doris' shoulder, he could see

Danny, Grace, and Tommy enter the lobby. Grace was firmly latched onto Tommy's free hand, his other hand held a bouquet of stargazer lilies. The little girl found Steve in the crowd, released Tommy's hand, and ran towards him, "Uncle Steve!"

"Gracie!" he exclaimed back, as the little girl launched herself into his arms. He picked her up and hugged her.

"I'm so excited to see Auntie 'Cena dance!" Grace said, excitement filling her voice and facial expressions.

"I am too. I have seen her practice in the studio, but I've never seen her dance on stage." Steve said to the little girl, as he placed her on the ground. Tommy and Danny had made their way to the group and Steve reached out to shake Tommy's hand, "Good to see you man."

"Good to see you too." Said Tommy, as he shook Steve's hand.

"She's so happy you got transferred here. She's been on cloud nine since Thanksgiving."

"She's not the only one." Tommy admitted.

"I think we're all here. Should we find some seats?" asked Danny.

"Nah, we gotta wait for Lou. He found out we were doing this and thought it would be a good daddy daughter date with Samantha." Everyone nodded, and Joe took the opportunity to inquire about Tommy's transfer, "So you got transferred to the islands. That's a big change from Kansas and Japan."

Tommy treated Joe with the respect he had always treated him with, "Yes sir, but I'm always up for a change."

The two chatted for a bit and Doris interjected a time or two before Lou and Samantha arrived. The group made their way into the auditorium and everyone settled into their seats. As Grace flipped through the program, Steve looked to Tommy, "She eat this morning?"

"Yeah, she did. You see it too?" Tommy replied, concern evident in his voice.

"It's hard to miss." Steve confessed, thinking back to their discussion outside Kamekona's and the weeks since. "I know she's been practicing a lot for this, but the events of October haven't disappeared completely."

"I figured it was a combination of the two, but I wasn't certain how much was October versus this." Tommy said, gesturing with his head towards the stage.

"I think October is the culprit, but I have made it a point to eat breakfast and dinner with her most days. I'm hoping once this is done, she will pull back on the dancing a bit."

"She sleeping?" quizzed Tommy.

"Most nights are fine, but once a week she still wakes up. I can hear her wander around the house from time to time, but she isn't waking up screaming anymore."

"It's at least a small step in the right direction."

"You crashing at our place tonight?" Steve asked, in a light tone. Steve couldn't have picked a better man for his sister and he wanted Tommy to feel welcome now that he was on the island full time.

"I would, but I'm on duty at 6 tomorrow morning."

"Boy, I don't miss those days." said Steve, as the lights flickered overhead. Grace reached over to Steve, and squealed, "It's starting Uncle Steve!"

He chuckled at the little girl's enthusiasm and held her hand as they were all transported into the world of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Mouse King, Nutcracker, and Clara.

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When Azucena and Kerem entered the stage for the Arabian dance, he could feel the little hand squeeze his in anticipation. He offered back a gentle squeeze to validate her excitement, but he couldn't pull his eyes away from the stage.

His sister was dressed in what he would have considered pants from the old television show, I Dream of Jeannie. Her top exposed her mid-riff, but there was a sheer material that covered her stomach and back. He assumed it was because she didn't want the audience to see the scars on her back. Kerem wore similar clothing, but in a more masculine cut with no sheer material covering his stomach and back.

Their movements were completely in sync as their arm gestures reminded him of Egyptian hieroglyphs, flat hands turned at ninty degree angles as their bodies spun in time to the music.

Kerem stretched his leg above his head and then landed in the splits on the floor only to roll over and have Azucena straddling his torso. He raised his hands to her waist and held her as her body leaned into the floor with her arms outstretched to the sides. Steve knew he was strong, but he doubted he could have held her four inches from the floor without raising any part of his body from the ground. Watching Azucena raise back up to an upright position made his abdominal muscle clench.

It wasn't three seconds before Kerem had Azucena lifted above his head and holding onto the small section between her hips and back, as she spun slowly in the air. She then pulled her leg up over her head, and was in the inverted splits before Kerem rotated her and she landed gracefully on the floor. It was at this moment, Danny leaned over Grace and said softly to Steve, "No one should be able to bend like that."

"Agreed." Steve responded, his eyes still glued to the stage.

The four minute dance had the Five-O members in complete awe at the two dancers abilities. The twisting, turning, bending, and stretching was perfectly timed to the music and the dancers graceful movements displayed their unique abilities to the audience. When the lights went out, there was a massive round of applause for the two dancers.

Grace leaned to Danny and excitedly said, "I want to take ballet."

Danny nodded in understanding and Steve smiled at the enthusiasm of the little girl. He knew the hours of hard work and dedication Azucena put into her craft and he was incredibly proud of her. For those four minutes he was transported out of the world of WoFat, Woods, and all the other terrible things they had survived together and saw the passion in her movements, the tension in her muscles, and the fluidity of her body. She was incredibly strong and talented.

The rest of the production was good, but Steve didn't find it as fascinating as the Arabian dance. When the curtain call came, Five-O whistled and cheered as loud as possible for the Arabian dancers.

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As the auditorium emptied, Grace tugged on Danny's hand, "We have to stay and tell her she did amazing!"

"We can do that, but then we have to go home and you have to go to bed."

"Aw Danno. . ."

"I know, I'm so mean. I let you stay up past your bedtime to watch ballet. I'm the worst father ever!"

"That's not true Danno." the little voice replied, as they all gathered in the lobby. Lou was the first to speak up, "McGarrett, your sister is incredibly talented. When you said she was dancing in The Nutcracker, I guess I expected her to be in the background, as one of those filler dancers. Not the best dancer in the show."

Steve grinned and looked down, "She's amazing, and if I'm being completely honest, I didn't know she could dance like that."

Lou found this statement surprising, as they were siblings and he figured Steve had watched his sister dance over the years. However, he remembered Azucena saying something about "foster parents." Lou's attention was pulled to the brown haired, young man with a bouquet of flowers, "When she earned her pointe shoes, it was like it unleashed a dancer in her that no one ever knew existed. What she did tonight was impressive, but she's always been incredibly talented."

Steve took in the tidbit of information Tommy shared, and tucked it away for future conversations. He wanted to know how a dancer earns their pointe shoes. However, his focus was redirected when Grace let go of Danny's hand and raced towards Azucena. She was dressed in her jeans and flannel shirt from earlier in the day. Only her make up and hair gave away the fact that she had been on stage earlier. Grace about exploded from excitement, "Auntie Cena, you were amazing!"

Azucena pulled the little girl to her in a hug, "Thank you Gracie. I'm so thankful you came tonight."

"We wouldn't have missed it for anything." The little girl exclaimed, as they walked over to the group.

Danny was the first to speak up, "My dear, I didn't know the human body could bend like that. I almost felt like I was watching a contortionist. But honestly, you are an incredible dancer and I'm glad I got to see this."

"Thank you Danny." Azucena said, as her cheeks began to blush from the attention.

"I believe Grace is now interested in ballet lessons, so we will be looking into that next week."

"She'll be great at it." replied Azucena, as she looked down at the little girl beaming up at her in awe. Azucena bent down to the little girl's level,

"Thank you very much for coming. It was so calming to know I had such a big fan in the audience tonight."

"The biggest!" Grace exclaimed.

"Unfortunately, it's past someone's bedtime." Danny interjected, and Grace's face fell.

"I understand. I'm ready to crash myself." replied Azucena, helping to soften the blow of bedtime. "Grace, want to get a shave ice later in the week after school?"

"That would be fantastic!"

"Perfect, I'll coordinate with Danny and we will make it happen."

The little girl hugged her and then they parted ways. Lou Grover and Samantha compliment Azucena on her incredible dancing ability and then bid everyone good night. Joe took the opportunity to speak up first, "You are an incredible dancer. I thoroughly enjoyed the show."

"Thanks Joe." Azucena responded, being genuine in her response. Even though she didn't trust Joe, it didn't mean she could be rude to him.  
Doris took a step closer to Azucena, but didn't touch her daughter, "You are extremely talented and I thought you did wonderfully. However, you need to eat. You're all skin and bones. People don't -"

Azucena knew Claudia wouldn't be able to give her a compliment without some sort of negative feedback included. She interupted her mother before she could continue "Thank you for coming Claudia."

Steve and Tommy's jaws were on the floor at this point of the conversation and Joe took the opportunity to reign in Doris before she could continue her thoughts.

"Doris, it's time to go." He politely slid his arm around her waist and began to escort her to the door.

Steve, Tommy, and Azucena watched as Joe and Doris exited the building. Tommy was the first to speak up, "Wow, she has no idea how to interact with you, does she?"

"I told you this morning she would find something to pick apart." Responded Azucena, resigned to the fact that her mother couldn't keep her opinions to herself.

"Well, it was an incredible performance. I have watched you dance before, but that was a whole different level of dancing. I'm impressed as hell." Steve said, sharing his opinion of the show and also hoping to take the focus off of Doris.

"Thank you very much. I appreciate it." Azucena replied, knowing her brother's compliments were bona fide.

"I'm going to go grab the truck and bring it around. Give you guys a few minutes. Tommy, you need a ride to the bus stop?"

"If you don't mind." Tommy responded to Steve.

"No problem at all." Steve headed towards the parking lot.

Tommy looked at Azucena, "I've never seen you dance like that before."

"It was fun. I enjoyed it and I'm proud of Kerem and me. We put a lot of work into it and I felt like it was totally perfect for the show."

"I'm proud of you." he said, as he wrapped her in his arms. Claudia wasn't wrong, she was too skinny, but he managed to look past it during the performance. He was mesmerized by her skills and talent, however now he was reminded of how bony she was.

"Thanks and the flowers are absolutely lovely. You remembered my favorites!"

Tommy laughed, "Yes, and they aren't easy to find on this island. Too many other amazing flowers."

"Well thank you." she leaned up and kissed him. It wasn't the chaste kiss from the diner that morning. This was longer and much more passionate. When they came up for air, she was flushed.

"Let's go, I gotta get back to the base and get some sleep."

"Fair enough, I'm starving. Hoping to talk Steve into going through a drive-thru on the way home."

"Nerves?" he questioned, knowing she rarely ate before a performance.

"Like you wouldn't believe." she responded, and they walked out into the parking lot hand in hand.


	106. Chapter 106: January

**Thanks for your patience as I continually struggle to find time to write and update. I appreciate the continued support. Feel free to leave a note or ideas, I know the next big milestone, but always willing to entertain ideas along the way. Thanks! ~Avy73**

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Christmas trailed quickly after The Nutcracker, and the McGarrett/Santiago house was a flurry of activity. Mary took the opportunity to fly Deb in for the holiday and Catherine showed up on Christmas Eve. Tommy spent the holiday with the family and everyone relaxed and enjoyed their time together.

Christmas Day was more complicated, as Doris and Joe showed up for Christmas lunch. They arrived with wine and side dishes, but the atmosphere was more tense than the previous evening. Deb and Doris caught up with each other, but it wasn't lost on Doris that there were frustrations on Deb's behalf. Deb didn't air her feelings at the dinner, but Doris knew there would be a day of reckoning with her sister-in-law.

Shortly after Christmas, the siblings and Tommy helped move Mary to her new place. The view of the ocean was stunning and Steve felt this place was the perfect fit for Mary. The protective big brother and cop in him was impressed with the security of the cottage. It was a secure home and Steve would rest easy at night knowing Mary would be safe when she was in town.

Azcuena started back at the Cheesecake Factory right before the new year. Steve asked her multiple times if she was really ready and he figured after the third conversation of confirmation, he had better let it go. His youngest sister was a strong, independent woman and if she wasn't ready, she wouldn't do it.

The semester started in the early part of January, and the rhythm of life at the McGarrett/Santiago residence was in harmony. The two siblings continued their morning running ritual. On days that Steve's job didn't run long, he made it home in time for dinner. Azucena had toned down the dancing after The Nutcracker and had finally managed to gain some weight. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough weight that Tommy didn't feel her bones when he spooned her on the one night a week he stayed over. Life was normal.

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Azucena sat under a tree on campus, fully immersed in her textbook when she heard the buzzing in her backpack. Setting her textbook on the ground, she unzipped the front pocket of the bag and pulled out her phone. Danny's name populated the screen.

She answered the phone, "Hey Danny."

Danny could hear the happiness in her voice and what he was about to do tore at his heart strings. The connection Steve and Azucena had was amazing for two people who had only known each other for a little more than a year.

"Are you on campus?" Danny asked, she could hear something in his voice. She couldn't decide if it was fear or sadness.

"Yeah, is Grace okay?"

"Grace is fine." he paused, and composed himself. He wasn't ready to say the words out loud, he could barely stomach everything he had seen that morning.

It had been like any other call out, but they hadn't expected the arsenal of weapons this terror cell had amassed. They were outnumbered and outgunned, but they managed to emerge unharmed, except for Steve. "Steve's been hurt and I sent Grover to pick you up from campus."

Those words had knocked the wind right out of her chest. She needed to know how bad it was, but in the same moment, she was terrified with what Danny might tell her. She managed to squeak out two words, "How bad?"

"I don't know. He lost consciousness at the scene and there was a lot of blood. He's in surgery right now, but the doctor's haven't said anything. Grover is going to pick you up in front of the Student Union and bring you here."

"Headed to the union now. Call me with any changes." She gathered her stuff, threw her bag over her shoulder, and sprinted to the Student Union. As she ran, her heart thumped in her chest and it wasn't from the cariovascular exercise. This fear had been with her from the moment Steve asked her to move to the islands. Her fear of getting close to people and losing them. It had happened with her mother, Clara, Jack, and Dean.

Steve had a dangerous job, but she always told herself that he was careful. Careful was good, but it couldn't stop the crazies. It couldn't stop the fact that in one moment he could be taken from her life and she would lose another person.

She pushed down the tears that threatened to surface as she neared the union. Grover was nowhere to be seen, but she knew he wouldn't be long. She paced and worked to calm herself.

God wouldn't do this to her. God wouldn't take her only brother from her. The brother put in her life to save her from a madman on more than one occasion. The brother that had introduced her to their father, through pictures, memories, and the sound of his voice on a handheld tape recorder. The brother that had brought her into his ohana. God wouldn't do this to her, would he?

A quick blast from a car horn pulled her from her thoughts. She glanced up to see Grover idling by the curb. She ran to his SUV and pulled open the door, "Hey Captain Grover, thanks for the lift."

"No problem kid. I'm just as worried about him as you are. Buckle up, I'm turning on the sirens." he responded, as he watched her buckle in. Her hands were shaking, as she tried to latch the seatbelt, it took a moment, but it finally clicked into place.

Grover flipped on the sirens and maneuvered through traffic, but he kept an eye on the redhead. He watched as she fingered the silver necklace she always wore. She sat forward in the seat, not at all comfortable. Her silence unnerved him, but he figured she had a lot of thoughts rolling through her brain.

The car ride only took seven minutes, but those seven minutes felt like eternity to her. She had spent the time pleading with God not to take her brother from her. He was the only family she had left. She had Mary and she loved Mary. Aunt Deb and Claudia were alive as well, but Steve understood her.

Steve had survived the hell of WoFat with her. Steve had calmed her on the worst nights after WoFat and Woods. Steve had become an anchor in the turbulent seas of her life for the past year and honestly, she wasn't certain she would have survived without him. She couldn't lose him.  
Lou pulled into a parking stall and as they ran up the entrance, they spotted Kono waiting for them. As they followed Kono through the hospital, Azucena managed to ask, "Any news?"

"Nothing yet, the surgeons are still working on him." the young woman answered. As they rode the elevator up, Azucena could see the fear painted on Kono's face.

"What happened?" Azucena asked, needing to know what she was facing.

"We happened upon a terror cell, and they were armed to the teeth. We thought we got everyone, but there was one man hiding. Steve took two shots to the chest, but his tac gear prevented those from hitting him. Unfortunately, the perp got him in the back and side. We tried to stop the bleeding as we waited for the paramedic, but he lost consciousness at the scene.

Azucena could see the scene that Kono described. She also knew her brother, he would stay conscious as long as he possibly could. He was a fighter and she was afraid it might be his last battle. That thought scared her on so many levels.

They exited the elevator and walked towards a waiting room; it was filled with Danny, Chin, and Jerry. Danny's face told her everything she needed to know. He looked like he lost his best friend and was going to throw up. It also told her there was a very real chance she could lose her brother today. Azucena rushed to Danny, and he wrapped her in his arms. She could hear the tears in his voice, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. We didn't see the guy until the shots rang out."

"It's not your fault." She responded back, trying her hardest to keep her tears from spilling onto her cheeks. She clinged to Danny and prayed God would keep Steve safe. After everything she'd been through in her life, the least God could do was let her keep her brother.

She held onto Danny for another minute before she needed space. She pulled back, but Danny grabbed her by the shoulders. He maintained eye contact with her, "He's going to pull through. Your Neaderthal of a brother is the toughest man I know. He's going to get through this."

She couldn't form words, but she nodded her head in agreement with Danny's words. He gently reached out and thumbed away the few tears that streaked down her cheeks. "You need anything? Water? Coffee?"

She shook her head no, and looked around the room. There was nothing to do but wait, and she was terrible at waiting. She found a chair and curled up into it. She pulled one of her knees up to her chest and slid the other leg beneath her. She wrapped her arms around her knee and rested her chin on her kneecap. She sat in the uncomfortable plastic hospital chair and watched Danny pace the small waiting room. Jerry sat in a chair and bounced his foot up and down on the floor. Chin looked the calmest out of everyone, leaning against a wall with his eye closed. Kono sat in a chair across from Azucena and switched positions every five minutes, while Grover sat leaning forward with his face in his hands. She took all this in, while she bargained with God.

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It had been two hours and the surgeon finally arrived in the waiting room. Everyone was on their feet in an instant. The doctor looked overwhelmed, "Steve survived surgery, but he is in critical condition. We have moved him to the ICU and we are monitoring him closely."

Grover asked the question before everyone else, "Is he going to survive this, Doc?"

"He lost a lot of blood and one of the bullets nicked his liver. We were able to remove the damaged part of the liver without having to replace it. We should know more over the next twenty-four hours."

Azucena's voice was soft, "Can we see him?"

"He's heavily drugged and resting. Only two people can be in his room at a time."

Chin spoke on everyone's behalf, "Danny and Azucena, you guys go."

Danny grabbed Azucena's hand, "Come on, kiddo."

She smiled at the use of Steve's nickname for her, and gratefully took Danny's hand. They followed the surgeon down the hallway and through the electronic doors of the ICU ward. Azucena remembered this ward, she stayed in it her first few days in Hawaii. So much had happened since she had last been here.

They walked up to the open glass door and Azucena took in the sight of her brother. The normally strong and athletic man was ghostly pale. His sun-kissed skin was the color of the white sheet that lay over him. It made her gasp and Danny gently squeezed her hand.

Danny walked over to Steve and gently took his hand, "You've scared us all, Super SEAL. We need you to heal up and recover."

Danny continued to hold Steve's hand and talked to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Azucena pull up a chair next to Steve's bed. Danny wasn't surprised, Steve's kid sister would sit vigil at his bedside until he was healthy. He couldn't blame her. Steve was one of the last family members she had left.

Azucena curled up in the hospital issued chair, gently took Steve's hand, and using her other hand she traced small gentle patterns on the back of his hand. She didn't say anything, just sat there, willing him to live.

When Danny felt he had take his fair amount of time, he looked to the redhead, "I'm going to go call Catherine and tell one of the other's they can come in. That okay?"

Azucena nodded her head in agreement, she didn't trust herself to speak. Danny walked around to her side of the bed, leaned down and kissed her on top of the head, and then headed to the waiting room.

Azucena sat in the room, while everyone came in and talked to her brother. Her focus was solely on Steve and continuing to bargain with God. She never let go of his hand and when the last of the team had said their peace with Steve, she finally spoke up.

"Hey big brother, heard you played hero today, but that doesn't really surprise me." The tears began to pool in her eyes again and slid down her cheeks as she continued to talk, "I know you're tired and hurting, but I need you to fight this. I need you to come back to us because I don't know how to lose you. I'm being selfish when I say this, but a year and a half isn't enough Steve. I need more time with you. There's so much more for you to teach me, tell me about our family, and show me on this island. Please don't give up."

She continued to softly trace patterns on his hand and watched his chest rise and fall. She matched her breathing to his to maintain a manner of composure.


	107. Chapter 107: Afraid To Leave

Steve could hear the faint sounds of the television. He didn't remember Danny spending the night, but he knew if he were sleeping and the television was on, Danny was over. He wasn't ready to open his eyes; his body hurt. His head was throbbing, and it felt like someone had taken a battering ram to his torso. He wished he could slip back into the peaceful oblivion of sleep.

The moment he realized someone was holding his hand, the memories of the previous day came rushing back. He fought through the brain fog and forced himself to open his eyes. It took a few seconds before the hospital room came into focus, but he could see his partner passed out in a hospital issued recliner, the television on a low volume.

He looked down to the hand that held his. It was attached to his youngest sister. She had fallen asleep, her head resting on the edge of his bed, and her red hair spread out on the blanket. He smiled to himself at the sight.

Danny had awoke to the sound of the SEAL moving his head to take in the room. He kept his voice soft, "She hasn't let go of your hand since they brought you into this room."

Steve nodded, understanding his sister's need to stay connected to him. He figured she had probably been terrified she was going to lose him. He continued to hold her hand as Danny inquired, "How are you feeling?"

"Honestly, pretty rough." he paused, looked down to his sister and back to Danny, "How bad is everything?"

"Well, you took two bullets; one to the back and one to the side. One of them nicked your liver, but they were able to remove the damaged part. Major bruising on your chest, where the kevlar stopped two shots. Doctor told us you were in critical condition, and you would be here in the ICU for a while."

Steve believed the critical condition part. His whole body hurt and he knew he was probably on some pretty heavy medicine. He tried place his focus on anything other than the pain he was feeling, "Anyone else hurt?"

"No, you were the only one." Danny confirmed. Steve was thankful he was the only one injured. Before he could ask his next question, he felt the pressure on his hand change. He looked over to his sister, her eyes were fluttering open; and he watched as a smile spread across her face. Her voice was soft, "Welcome back. How do you feel?"

"Lots of pain."

"Do you need more pain medicine? I can go get a nurse." she offered, he could see relief roll off of her in waves.

"Nah kiddo, I'll be fine." he replied, trying to be reassuring. He was exhausted and honestly, he wanted to go back to sleep. However, the pain in his abdomen was incredible and his vitals must have shown it because a nurse showed up immediately with more pain medicine.

The nurse moved softly around the room, and reached for the IV tubing, "Glad you could join us, Commander."

"Just thankful to wake up this morning. It is morning, correct?" Steve questioned, shifting in the bed.

"3:15 in the morning." Azucena softly supplied, glancing at the watch on her free hand.

"I'm going to give you a little more morphine. Your vitals are showing you are in quite a bit of pain. You'll be drowsy here shortly." the nurse answered, as she injected the needle into the IV line.

Steve looked to Azucena, hoping to ask before the medicine kicked in, "Cath and Mary?"

"Danny called Catherine, she's on her way out. Mary is stuck in Seattle and flies out first thing this morning."

He focused on the redhead, concern evident, "Don't let Mary freak out."

"I'll do my best." She answered, understanding Steve's concern. She thought back to the phone call with Mary. She basically had to peel Mary off the ceiling, but then again, critical condition is a stress worthy description. At the time, Steve hadn't yet woken up.

"You okay?" he questioned, paying attention to his sister. The medicine was playing at the corners of his mind. Things were getting foggy, but he pushed through.

"You're alive and awake, I'm good." she smiled at him, and gently squeezed his hand. "Let the medicine do its job. You need to rest and I'm not going anywhere."

"You call Doris?" he quizzed her, still fighting the medicine.

"I didn't know if I should. I wasn't sure what you would want."

"Don't." he managed to get out, becoming more and more drowsy.

"I won't, just rest. I'll be here when you wake up." She answered, as she gently traced patterns on the back of his hand. She could tell the minute the drugs had taken full control, his body relaxed, and he was fast asleep.

Danny watched the exchange between the siblings and saw the relief wash over the redhead when her brother had regained consciousness. He could see the tension in her shoulders finally evaporate. He knew, just as Steve had known, the fear of losing another family member had been eating at her since he had called her earlier that day.

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The next time Steve woke up, he looked to where Azucena had been holding his hand and found Catherine, "Morning Sailor, you had us all pretty worried yesterday."

Steve pushed through the brain fog the medicine brought and focused on the woman he loved, "You didn't have to come. I'm okay."

Mary, who occupied the seat Danny had claimed all night, spoke up, "Pretty sure being in critical condition in the ICU merits an in person visit from your girlfriend and family."

Catherine smiled, "Mary's right. There wasn't a chance either of us weren't flying here to make sure you woke up."

Steve could tell Mary had been crying, her face was flushed. Catherine looked calm, but he could see beneath the serene surface his girlfriend exuded. She had been worried, and he could tell by the shakiness in her velvety voice.

"There's nothing to worry about. I'm fine." he tried to reassure them, but the pain in his body told him otherwise.

"You might feel fine right now Commander, but it was pretty touch and go yesterday." Said the doctor, as he walked into the room.

The doctor stood at the end of Steve's bed and for the first time, Steve noticed Danny leaning against the sink counter and Azucena was perched on the counter next to him. Azucena's legs were pulled up to her chest and her head was leaning against the cabinet next to her. Danny was silently sipping coffee. He could read the exhaustion in their faces, but also the relief of him being awake.

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is your pain?" the doctor asked.

"Seven and a half." Steve answered.

"We'll continue to manage the pain and you need to rest. However, if things continue in a positive direction, we should be able to move you out of ICU within the next day or two."

"Thank you doctor." Steve replied.

"You have quite the support system." The doctor stated, knowing they were violating the two person rule, "They can all stay, but you must rest. We don't need you over-exerting yourself and exacerbating your situation."

"Not to worry Doc, between his girlfriend, sisters, and myself, we'll keep him in line." offered Danny, knowing Steve wouldn't be able to boss any of them around.

"Please see to it, Detective Williams." The doctor responded and then quietly disappeared.

Steve was exhausted, but he felt loved. The people surrounding him meant the world to him and he was thankful for each and every one of them. He looked to Danny and Azucena, "You guys look drained; go home and get some sleep."

"I'm good." Volunteered Azucena, terrified the minute she left the room things would take a turn for the worse. She hated hospitals and she wasn't about to let her brother out of her sight.

Danny was exhausted and he knew Steve would be perfectly fine with Catherine and Mary watching over him. He knew it was going to take an act of God to get the young redhead to leave the hospital. Danny made eye contact with Steve, and Steve knew what Danny was thinking without saying a word.

Steve spoke up, "Catherine, you and Mary want to go grab a cup of coffee? It's going to be a long and boring day."

Catherine understood what was being said and looked to Mary, "Let's go get a cup. Danny, 'Cena, you guys want anything?"

"We're good, thanks." Answered Danny, as the women headed out the door towards the coffee cart outside the ICU ward.

Steve made eye contact with Azucena and padded the bed with his hand. She slowly unfolded herself from her perch on the counter and slid her sock covered feet into her sneakers. As she walked towards the bed, Danny silently slipped out of the room.

Azucena gently settled her hip on the hospital bed, and Steve took her hand into his. He knew and understood her fears and he was certain she had pushed down all her emotions yesterday and during the night while he was unconscious. He could read the exhaustion in her face and he could see her steel façade of calm was slipping. "You're exhausted, Danny's exhausted, and I'm exhausted. You heard the doctor, I'm supposed to sleep all day today. I have nurses outside the door, monitoring all my vitals. Nothing is going to happen to me."

Azucena opened her mouth to counter his statements, but Steve gently squeezed her hand, "I'm going to be fine."

"Promise?" Azucena asked, her voice barely a whisper. He could see her blinking back tears that were welling in her eyes.

"I promise." he said, loosening his grip on her hand. He brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and then found her hand again. "Catherine and Mary are going to be bored to tears up here today. You did a wonderful job of watching over me last night and I'm so thankful for it, but I need you to take care of yourself. Go home and sleep, take a shower, eat a proper meal, call Tommy, and then come back. If it will make you feel better, you can crash up here tonight."

"Like you did for me after North Korea and Silver Pond." she offered, trying to maintain her composure.

"Exactly like that." he said, smiling and squeezing her hand. She didn't argue or protest. She leaned forward and kissed him on the top of his head, "Get some rest."

"You too kiddo, you too." He squeezed her hand one more time. She picked her backpack up off the floor, slung it over her shoulders, and walked towards the door. She looked back at him, "Love you Steve."

"Love you too 'Cena."

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Danny patiently waited outside the ICU ward for Azucena. He was going to take her home and crash at the McGarrett house. A small part of him was worried about Azucena, but an even bigger part was exhausted and knew it would be safer to crash in the guest room at Steve's than to drive home.

When the doors to the ICU ward opened, Danny could see the tears welling in Azucena's eyes. He had watched her lock down all her emotions the previous day, but fatigue was allowing her feelings to bubble to the surface. Danny didn't have to say anything, he just held his arms open for her and she graciously accepted them. Danny rubbed her back, "He's just fine. He's going to be okay."

"We almost lost him Danny." she whispered, hoping Danny wouldn't hear the tears in her voice.

"But we didn't. He's alive and awake. Things are only going to get better from here." Danny said, trying to be reassuring. However, he knew the exact fear she had felt for the last twelve hours. It was the fear that had been festering in the pit of his stomach the previous day and all night. Continuing with his positive attitude, "And now, my dear, you and I are going to the house and crashing for a few hours."

"Danny, you don't have to stay with me. I'll be fine by myself." she said, pulling back from him and brushing the tears from her cheeks.

"I have no doubt about that, but honestly, I'm absolutely spent and I'm barely going to make the drive to your house. I have a go bag in my car, so I'll crash in the guest room."

"Sounds good." she replied, as they walked out of the hospital.


	108. Chapter 108: The Wrath of the Matriarch

**To all those that leave notes, thank you so much! I didn't realize how important those were until I started writing this story. They tell me whether you like where the story is headed or if I'm completely off my rocker! :-) I don't know about anyone else, but when I was a kid and my full name was used, I knew I was in deep trouble. The siblings get to experience that as adults. Hope you like it! ~Avy73**

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Between the pain medicine and the human body's healing process, Steve slept off and on throughout most of the day. The few times he was awake, it was for short stretches at a time. He had short conversations with Catherine and Mary or the three of them would watch a television program. He wasn't good at being still, but he was in quite a bit of pain and knew his body needed time to heal. This was the one instance where he allowed himself to rest and recover.

While he slumbered, Catherine and Mary were browsing through a few magazine's that Mary had picked up in the gift shop. The silence of the hospital room was interupted by the appearance of Doris and her sharp intake of breath at the sight of her son confined to an ICU hospital bed.

Mary jumped to her feet, "Mom, it's not as bad as it looks."

Doris' voice was low, she didn't want to disturb her sleeping child. That's what he would always be to her, the little boy who ran around in footie pajamas playing G I Joe. Mary and Catherine could hear the fury in her quiet voice. "Steve is in the ICU and you're telling me it's not as bad as it looks? I had to hear about my son being shot while watching the news from last night?"

"Honestly mom, the doctor said they would more than likely move him out of the ICU tomorrow. This is really just a precaution." Mary said, slightly fibbing to her mother about Steve's actual condition.

Doris could read the lie in Mary's voice, "Mary Ann McGarrett, the hospital doesn't just put people in the Intensive Care Unit as a precaution. They place people in the ICU who are severely injured."

Steve stirred at the sound of slightly raised voices. His eyes fluttered open, using his hand without the IV, he rubbed his eyes, "Mom?"

"I'm here honey." Doris said, moving around Mary and taking Steve's good hand into hers. Steve let her hold his hand as he processed her being in the room. He had told Azucena not to call Doris.

"You didn't have to come here, Mom. I'm fine." He worked hard to be reassuring, but honestly he was still groggy from sleep.

"You have suffered two gunshot wounds, you're hardly fine." Doris countered, arrogance in her voice.

"If you want to stay for a while, feel free, but honestly I've been sleeping off and on all day." Steve acquiesced. He knew he wasn't going to win this argument with his mother, and honestly, he didn't really have the energy to even try. He let her hold his hand as he let the call of sleep pull him back into slumber.

Doris ran her hand across his forehead, brushing his hair back. She remembered when he was first born, he slept the night through right away. She and John thought they were blessed. They were able to get more sleep than most of their friends with babies. Steve rarely cried and was an incredibly happy baby.

As he grew, she remembered waking him in the mornings to find him sleeping on his stomach, his leg pulled under him so his rear end was in the air. She always giggled at the sight of her little boy, looking innocent and peaceful. Once he was awake, he was a whirlwind of energy that rarely slowed down.

That little boy grew into a compassionate and strong man. A man who fought for his country and protected his city. A man she was proud to call her son. She pulled herself out of her memories, kissed Steve on the forehead, and looked to Mary, "Where's your sister?"

"She's at home getting some sleep."

"So she was up here all night?" questioned Doris. Mary realized the trap she had walked into and paused before she answered. The pause was all Doris needed, "So your sister sat up here all night until you got into town and didn't call to tell me that Steven had been shot. Did she call you as well Catherine?"

Catherine was startled by Doris' inquiry and the bitter tone of her voice. Catherine schooled her features and looked to Doris, "No Ma'am, Danny called me."

"Typical, the two people set against me couldn't be bothered to call me." Stated Doris, to no one in particular. Doris then turned to Mary, "Was your sister even concerned at all about Steven?"

"Mom, Steve's going to be fine. Azucena stayed until Steve made her go home and get some sleep. She was exhausted when I arrived. I don't think she was thinking clearly or she would have called you." Mary said, trying to diffuse the situation. Mary wasn't actually certain that Azucena would have called Doris, but she was going with this line of answering for now.

"I won't stay, I know he can only have two visitors at a time. Please keep me posted on his recovery. I will stop by tomorrow morning to check up on him." Doris informed Mary and Catherine and then exited the room. Mary waited until her mother was out of hearing range and slumped into her chair, drained by the drama her mother could unleash when it involved Azucena.

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Azucena fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, but it was a fitful sleep. When she woke up four hours later, she felt just as drained as she had prior to sleeping. She decided a run would help her clear her head and pulled on her regular running attire.

She quietly descended the stairs, as she was certain Danny was still asleep. Stopping off in the kitchen for a banana, she heard a key in the front door. She assumed it was either Catherine or Mary, coming home to grab a quick nap. She was surprised to find Claudia standing in the doorway. What really rocked her was the hateful, screeching voice coming out of her mother, "YOU SELFISH LITTLE BITCH!"

Azucena knew immediately she was paying the price for not calling Claudia. She didn't even have to wait for Claudia to finish her thought, and honestly, she didn't care, " Good Morning Claudia."

"He was shot multiple times and you didn't even bother to pick up the phone and call me? Do you hate me so much that you would keep me from my dying son?"

"He wasn't dying last night Claudia and honestly, I didn't know if he wanted you there. I was waiting for him to tell me what he wanted."

"You were waiting for him to tell you?" Exclaimed Claudia, shock and disbelief in her voice. Danny had awoken to the sound of Claudia's entrance and opened the bedroom door to the exchange between mother and daughter.

"Contrary to your opinion Claudia, not everyone wants you in their lives. It if was Mary, I would have called you right away. If it was me, Steve and Mary wouldn't have called you. Steve's the question mark of the family. I didn't know what he wanted, so I didn't call you."

"He was unconscious, he couldn't make a decision!" Claudia proclaimed, fury in her voice. Azucena kept still and quiet. She knew better than to volunteer information. As an adult, she realized Claudia could be a snake; perfectly calm and pleasant one minute and in the next minute, vicious and cunning.

She wasn't like this with Steve and Mary. Azucena had quickly realized Claudia produced this behavior only with her. Since Claudia's return, Azucena had weighed all the scenarios and the only logical conclusion she could come up with was Claudia was so disgusted with her own behavior, she lashed out at her youngest and tried to push her away. Azucena knew Claudia had softer moments, like when she found out about Woods, but those moments never lasted.

With Steve and Mary, they knew who they were going to get, Doris. The woman who raised them and lied to them about her death. There had been lies since her return, but Doris always wore the mask of the loving mother. When it came to Azucena, it was as if Claudia possessed Narcissistic Personality Disorder. She couldn't control her emotions or feelings. Any mention of Jack or Clara sent her into a tizzy about how poorly they had raised her daughter. Azucena's relationship with Claudia was nothing like her siblings.

"So when he woke up, did he ask you to call me?" her voice quiet and deadly. Danny knew this was going to take a terrible turn, so he took this moment to speak up, "Mrs. McGarrett, he did ask her to call you, but she fell asleep on the way home and forgot. It wasn't intentional and is wasn't meant to be hurtful, it was honestly exhaustion that took over."

Claudia turned her focus to Danny, "Why didn't you call me, Detective Williams?"

"Honestly, I was exhausted and barely got us home safely. We were both pretty axed by the time we made it home. I sincerely apologize for the lack of communication on our part."

Claudia couldn't tell if Danny was lying or speaking the truth, but she had had enough. She looked to Danny and then to her youngest, "Azucena Thalia Santiago, if this ever happens again, you call me. I don't care what your brother or sister want. Do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Claudia." Azucena had tacked her mother's name on the sentence, just to irritate her. If this ever happened again, it was highly doubtful Azucena would go against her sibling's wishes, but this was probably a discussion the three of them needed to have.

Claudia turned on her heel and marched out the front door. The minute the door slammed, both Danny and Azucena let out a big sigh. Azucena looked to Danny, "Nice save, I don't think she would have liked the truth."

Danny had been blown away by the woman's behavior, "She normally talk to you like that?"

"Depends on the day and the audience." Azucena said, shrugging her shoulders. She looked back at Danny, terrified he would say something to Steve. "Steve has a long road of recovery ahead of him. I will discuss with him how we handle situations like this in the future, but you can't say anything about what just happened."

Danny was surprised, he knew Azucena hated lies, even lies of omission. He couldn't keep this a secret from his partner. Steve needed to know how truly nasty his mother could be to the youngest of the siblings.

"I won't say anything until Steve is better, but he needs to know about this."

"We can tell him, but not until he is healed." she conceded, not thrilled to tell her brother this. She knew he would feel guilt about the behavior their mother displayed, but it wasn't his guilt to carry. Azucena shook herself out of her thoughts, "I'm going to go for a run. Get more sleep if you need to. Or if you want to go home and sleep in your own bed, that's fine too. I'm going to run, eat, call Tommy and then take the truck up to the hospital. Chin dropped it off this morning."

"Sounds good kid. I'm going to head home and get some more sleep. I'll be up at the hospital later."

"See you up there." she said, as she headed out the door ready to release some pent up frustration from her mother's visit.


	109. Chapter 109: Recovering

I apologize for the tardiness in my updates. Our lives have been absolutely insane, but I've been working on this chapter for a while. Thank you to Elle, Stephanie, ArmyJ88, Shamrocker1980, and all the other guests who have left notes encouraging me to post. I really do appreciate you all more than you know. I'm currently traveling, so I have a little more free time and hope to get a few more chapters cranked out. Again, thanks for your patience and encouragement. Please forgive my typos, I'm typing on a mini tablet and it is totally different than my keyboard. ~Avy73

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It wasn't long before Steve was released from the hospital and told to take four weeks to continue healing before returning to work. Danny held him to the four weeks mandated by the doctor, but stopped by on a regular basis. Catherine spent a week at the house helping nurse Steve back to health and then she returned to the aircraft carrier. Mary stuck around town for four days before she was called back to work. Between Catherine and his sisters, Steve was well taken care of and thankful for everything they had done to help him.

Into his second week, he spent most of his days puttering around the garage, working on the Mercury Marquis. He found himself happy tinkering with the old car and enjoyed the time to focus on the machine. Azucena would come home between school and work to let him teach her about various aspects of the car and how to care for it.

It was early evening, and there was a soft rain shower soaking the flora and fauna that decorated the McGarrett property, but the siblings were fully engrossed in the machine that occupied the garage space. The garage door was open, allowing the breeze to circulate in the open space. They noticed the moment Danny pulled into the driveway, and sprinted into the garage, "What are you two grease monkey's up to today?"

"Working on replacing the master cylinder. How was the office?" Steve inquired, Danny could see the longing to return to work all over Steve's face.

"The usual, bad guys, murder, mayhem. I have to say, Kono has done an impeccable job of taking over the role of two adrenaline junkies." Danny paused and smiled, "I'm ready for you to be back. I love that woman to death but she is going to be the death of me."

"So a typical day." Supplied Steve, smirking at Danny. Danny nodded in agreement with Steve's assessment.

Azucena wiped the grease off her hands, "Want a beer Danny?"

"Yeah, that'd be great kid." Danny nodded, and smiled at the young woman.

"You eat yet?" She quizzed him.

"Nah."

"There's left over enchiladas in the house. Want a plate?"

Danny wasn't going to turn down free home cooked food, especially from the chef of the Santiago/McGarrett family. "That would be great. You want help?"

"No, just feed super SEAL's need for adventure with work stories for me. He is chomping at the bit to get back out there with you all." She said, smiling as she placed the greasy rag on the work bench and walked into the house. Steve smiled and watched her disappear through the screen door.

Danny watched her as well, "She's a good kid."

"Yeah, she is Danny." Steve agreed, as he picked up the dirty rag and wiped his hands.

Danny watched Steve take a pull from his LongBoard, "How's she doing?"

"This scared the hell out of her, but she's good. Trying to balance everything. I tell her I'm fine on my own, but she worries. I understand. I can't say I wouldn't worry if I were in her shoes."

"You guys talk about Doris yet?"

"Yeah, in future situations like that, I don't want Doris there. She brings too much drama and situations like that are already high intensity anyway." He said, leaning back against the tool bench that ran the width of the garage.

"She tell you about the 'selfish bitch' comment?" Asked Danny.

"Not yet." Answered Azucena, as she walked out into the garage with a plate of warm enchiladas and a beer. She handed the plate to Danny and set the beer on a shelf near the man. Steve looked at the two of them expectantly.

"I was going to wait until you were completely healed before I told you any of this." She said to Steve and then turned to glare at Danny. She was treating him like the brother he had become. She would have done the same thing to Steve. Azucena slid herself onto a stool in the garage , "Claudia was pretty steamed about not telling her about your injuries. You know she showed up at the hospital, but she came by the house afterwards. She was her usual _pleasant_ self and mandated that the next time something like this happened, we are to call her immediately."

"And the 'selfish bitch' part?" Questioned Steve, anger painting his face.

"You know Claudia, she can't figure out how to interact with me. She was angry and lashed out. I don't give her words any credence, so it's not a big deal. I didn't want to tell you until you were completely healed because you always carry the guilt of her shitty behavior."

Steve was quiet and took in what his sister had shared with him. Their mother was a piece of work, but he loved her. She was his mother. However, he also realized that she was poisonous to his youngest sister. He believed Azucena was trying to protect him from their mother and her toxic behavior. He kept eye contact with Azucena, his voice calm, "You could have told me."

"I figured two bullets trump Claudia's poor behavior. I promised Danny I would tell you when you were fully healed." She turned her head and looked at Danny, who was happily chowing down on the homemade dinner. "His timetable of healed is a little different than mine."

"What's your time table?" Questioned Danny, with a mouth full of food.

"The day after he returned to work." She explained, "It's not a big deal."

"I beg to differ." Danny said, washing down his dinner with a swig of beer. "It's emotional and verbal abuse."

"Pretty sure after everything I've been through, I can handle a few scathing words from Claudia. Besides Danny, it's not like I voluntarily spend any time with the woman, so the occurrences are few and far between." Replied Azucena.

"Danny's not wrong." Steve supplied. He didn't like the thought of Doris speaking to Azucena in such anger. That language coming from a parent was unacceptable and incredibly hurtful.

"You two are making a bigger deal out of this than it is." Said Azucena, as she slid off the stool. "Just let it go, I already have."

The two men watched her disappear into the house and then made eye contact. Steve spoke first, "Thanks for letting me know."

"She would have told you, but I wanted to make sure it didn't get forgotten in the rush of life."

"I know she would have." Steve said, as he picked up the wrench from earlier, "Wanna help?"

"Yeah, let me take off my work shirt first. Don't want any grease on it." Said Danny, as he unbuttoned his work shirt and placed it on the counter. His white t-shirt and work pants weren't exactly car maintenance attire, but he wanted to spend time with his partner.

The two men worked for a few more hours on the vehicle and Danny caught Steve up on things in the office. Normalcy was starting to find it's way back to Steve's life and for that, he was incredibly thankful.

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Steve had bid Danny good night and closed up the garage after his partner pulled out of the driveway. He stood in the garage and stared at the old car and debated whether to say anything to his sister about Doris or leave it alone. He knew it was like pouring salt in a wound when Doris was a topic of conversation. Rubbing the back of his neck, he decided they had better talk about it.

He walked into the house to find it quiet and empty, but he could hear the rain splattering outside. Knowing this, he walked towards the lanai and could see her outline in the darkness of the patio. She was curled up in a chair, her tablet in her lap, and he knew she was reading for pleasure. If it had been school work, she would have been sitting at the dining room table. He hesitated to interrupt her, but she heard him. She turned to look at him, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." He said, as he opened the screen door and lowered himself down into one of the chairs. She was in flannel pajama pants and a hoodie that sported the university mascot. He thought about the past year and few months and how quickly she had acclimated to life in Hawaii. She was amazingly well adjusted in his eyes.

He watched, as she placed her tablet on the table. She was finally starting to look healthy and he wasn't about to let Doris affect that progress. He had debated a round about approach to the discussion, but he knew better. Ripping off the bandaid had become their manner of dealing with stuff and he thought it best to go with the tried and true method, "Want to talk about Doris?"

"Not really, do you?" She said, placing the tablet on the table and turning her full attention to her brother.

"I just want to make sure you're okay. Her words were pretty hurtful."

"Like I told you and Danny earlier, I have survived more painful things than Claudia's foul behavior. If that had been my first encounter with her since finding out she's alive, it would sting a lot more. I just figure that's who she is when it comes to me. It's not my fault."

Her words just reaffirmed his opinion of her and he was thankful that Jack and Clara had instill such a strong sense of self in his youngest sister. He thought it best to change the subject, "What are you reading?"

" _Christy_."

He had never heard of this book before, and it sounded like a bit of a romance novel. His sister didn't seem like the bodice ripper type, but he questioned anyway, struggling to keep the smirk out of his voice, "Romance?"

"Hardly." She responded, with a combination of disgust and amusement in her voice, "It's a story about a young woman who moves to the Appalachian mountains to teach school."

"Definitely wasn't getting that from the title." He confessed, almost slightly embarrassed. "Is it any good?"

"It's one of my favorites." She confided, "I probably read it once a year."

"Why do you like it?" He quizzed, honestly curious why she would read a book multiple times. Sure, he had his favorite books, but reading a book once a year wasn't something he could wrap his mind around.

She considered her words, "It's based on a true story and this woman has no qualms about giving up everything she knew, moving to a place where she's an outsider, and following her dream of helping people. I find it amazing and inspiring. She's much braver than I could ever be."

"That makes no sense.' He exclaimed, confusion covered his face.

"Excuse me?" Azucena asked, looking at him like he had offended her.

"That's the story of you. You're just as brave, if not braver than she is." He said, his hands starting to talk like he was Danny. "You moved across the ocean to live with an absolute stranger to pursue your dream of becoming a nurse."

"You aren't a stranger, you're my brother." Her facial expression, illuminated by her tablet, told him she thought he was an idiot.

"You didn't know that when we met." He observed, working to prove his point.

"There was something about you. I know you felt it too. I saw your reaction that day when WoFat's men dragged you into that room of torture. You recognized me, not fully knowing who I was, but you knew I was safe."

"Yeah, you were familiar, but I could have been a serial killer and you still moved out here."

"Now you're just being ridiculous. I knew you were a good man the moment you helped me out of those God forsaken chains." She countered, he could hear the fire in her voice. "You could have escaped and left me to rot, but you didn't. You were gentle and kind, and helped me through some pretty unpleasant experiences. Besides, once we were around everyone, I could see your whole team thought you walked on water."

"If you know me so well, how is it that you miss the fact that you are incredibly brave and strong?"

She was taken aback by his question, and he could read the frustration on her face, "I'm brave because I've had to be. I don't intentionally go find uncomfortable situations to grow as a human being. Honestly, I like comfort. That's where I"m more like Mary than you. You thrive in challenging situations, but I survive. I survive because it's the only acceptable option. It does't mean I'm brave. It means I'm stubborn as hell, another trait I share with Mary."

Steve didn't disagree, his sisters were both incredibly stubborn women, but they were both strong. Stronger than most people would believe and he was proud of them, "You amaze me, you know that?"

She looked out at the water, avoiding eye contact, "Thanks."

There was something still off with her, but he had been able to deduct that it wasn't Doris related, "What's bothering you?"

"I'm fine." She said, and looked back at him from the ocean. He knew she was a terrible liar and her face, illuminated by the tablet, told him he was correct. "I would believe you, but I read people every day. Something is eating away at you."

"Truth?" She looked him square in the eye, and exhaled heavily, "Valentine's is next week."

It hit him in the chest, he had forgotten. He had been so focused on recovering and with being out of the office, he had lost track of time. He could see the stress in her eyes and she was finally releasing some of the frustration. "Shit 'Cena, I'm sorry. I've lost track of time."

"Don't apologize, it is what it is." she said, pushing her hands into the pocket of her hoodie. He watched as she physically sunk into her chair, "It's just, this year is different and I don't know how I want to handle it."

Steve was putting the pieces together. Years past, she had always been single and the holiday didn't mean much to her. Now that Tommy was in the picture, the day had more significance to her. He was beginning to understand why she fought him when he said she was brave. "What do you want to do?"

"Part of me wants to pretend the day doesn't exist, like I have in years past." She paused, she was preparing to confess how girly she truly was, "But the girly part of me, who has never had a boyfriend on this holiday, wants to experience it for the commercial holiday that it is."

He knew not to laugh, this was a serious conversation, but he loved her honesty. She recognized it for the commercial holiday it was, but wanted to be like all the other people celebrating the day. She wanted to be normal and he completely understood her desire. "You talk to Tommy about it?"

"Yeah, he's willing to do whatever I want to do. He works that day, but will get off at 5. He has the next day off." She answered and looked out at the ocean. He was surprised when she spoke up next, "I honestly think it would be less stressful to just order a pizza and watch movies."

"So why don't you guys do that?"quizzed Steve, curious why that wasn't what they planned. He loved watching movies with the women he dated. As a young man, he had figured out if the movie was scary, the girl curled in closer, which always turned into making out. The it hit him, kind of hard to make out in the living room with your brother roaming the house. He quickly followed his thought up with more information, "I can make myself scarce. I can go hang out at Danny's for the evening."

"I'm not going to ask you to do that." She said.

"Why not? You do it when Catherine comes to town. I have no qualms about hanging out with Danny for a few hours that night."

"Yeah, but it's your house." She tried to explain.

"It's your house too." He reminded her.

"You sure you don't mind?" She questioned, wary of asking her big brother to disappear for a few hours so she could spend quality time with her boyfriend.

"I don't mind at all. Besides, it will get me out of the house and Danny will be thrilled to force me to watch a hockey game."

"You lucky man!" She laughed, thankful for her brother's sacrifice.

"Anytime kiddo, any time." He smiled at her, thankful to get to the bottom of her issue.


	110. Chapter 110: Valentine's Day 20

**Elle - This chapter is for you. I wanted to write three chapters for you, leading up to your birthday, but life wouldn't allow it. So you get the steamy Valentine's chapter. Happy birthday, I hope all your birthday wishes come true!**

 **For those that continue to read, thank you. Thank you for your patience as I find time to update and also add a little to my other story. Thanks to all those who leave notes, they mean more to me than you can imagine. ~Avy73**

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Tommy stepped off the bus and quickly walked towards the McGarrett/Santiago house. Azucena was under the impression that they would order pizza and watch a movie, but Tommy had other ideas. He had cleared everything with Steve, as he wanted to make sure he was okay with a fire on the beach.

He made it to the front porch, shifted the groceries to his other arm, and rang the doorbell. He patiently waited for her to answer the door, and when she did, he was delighted to see her smiling face, "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Happy Valentine's Day." She responded, as she leaned forward and kissed him. The kiss lasted longer than she had expected, as Tommy's arm slid around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He loved the way she smelled; like fresh laundry hung on the line. When they finally broke for air, she rested her forehead against his, "I'm so happy to be spending the evening with you."

"Me too Red, me too." He replied, as he gently squeezed her once more. She gave him a quick peck and then shifted her focus to the sack in his arm, "What's this? I thought we were ordering a pizza and watching movies?"

She pulled back and held the door open for him. He followed her through the house to the kitchen and explained as they walked, "That was the initial plan, but I decided we needed something more."

"Something more?" she questioned, as he set the grocery sack on the island. He could read the curiosity in her eyes and he was happy to see her excited. He hoped she liked what he had planned.

"I cleared it with Steve. I thought we could start the evening out with a fire on the beach." He said, as he rummaged through the sack, and pulled out hot dogs and a bag of buns. "Relive old times by roasting hot dogs over an open flame."

Her eyes glowed with excitement, "Just like when we would sleep out under the stars?"

"Exactly like that." He answered, as he continued to rummage through the sack and pulled out a bag of marshmallows, "It wouldn't be complete without smores."

He watched as pure joy spread across her face, and that had been his main goal. He wanted to reclaim this night as a night of fun and positive memories. Forget about the past few years and enjoy their time together. She rushed towards him, wrapping her hands around his face, and kissing him passionately.

She was truly blessed to have such a wonderful man in her life. A man that understood the joy she found in the simple pleasures of life. Society dictated that Valentine's day should be spent at an overpriced restaurant, with drug store candy, and over-priced flowers; but he knew that she wouldn't find joy in those things. He knew her well enough to know that marshmallows toasted over a roaring fire would bring her happiness. Making new memories with the man she loved didn't require grand gestures, but simple, meaningful experiences. She pulled back slowly, "Thank you so much."

"I had a craving for hot dogs, what can I say?" he cracked, and she laughed at him. The smile that spread across her face while she laughed made his heartbeat quicken. He was truly in love with the woman in front of him and he wanted to make sure tonight was perfect for her.

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Steve had arrived at Danny's with a six pack of Long Board and a pizza. He was thankful for any excuse to get out of the house. He didn't bother to knock, and let himself into the house, "Danno?"

"In the kitchen, babe." Came a voice deep in the little house. Steve made his way into the kitchen and found Danny in gym shorts and t-shirt. Danny pulled plates out of the cabinet, as Steve stuck the beer in the fridge, "Thanks for letting me hang out tonight Danno."

"At least someone amongst us should be enjoying Valentine's Day." Said Danny, as he took a swig from the beer Steve had handed him.

"Agreed."

"What are their plans?" Danny asked, as he handed Steve a plate. Each threw two slices on the plate and drifted out to the sofa in the living room.

"She thinks they are ordering pizza and watching a movie. He's surprising her with a fire on the beach, roasting hot dogs and smores, and sleeping under the stars. I guess they did that a lot growing up."

"Sounds sweet." Danny said, as the two turned their attention to the hockey game on the television. It was a typical guy night: beer, yelling at the referees, and the occasional shop talk.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#

They sat against the giant log of driftwood and listened to the waves lap the shore as they watched the fire dance in the darkness of the night. Her back against Tommy's chest, and his arms wrapped around her. It wasn't terribly cold, but they had a blanket covering them. He enjoyed holding her in his arms and she had gained enough weight back, that she was soft in all the right places.

"This is perfect." She said, as she stared up at the stars and gently squeezed his thigh.

"I'm glad you think so." He said, knowing how much she enjoyed looking at the stars and the smell of a campfire. Their focus that evening had fluctuated between looking at the stars and watching the flames dance in the darkness. Their conversations drifted between reminiscing about old times and planning future activities. She wanted to introduce him to Koko Head Stairs and he wanted to take her for an afternoon picnic and swim at Likeke Falls. They were in their own little world and it was perfect.

Tommy was disappointed when Azucena sat up but was pleasantly surprise when he realized that she had pulled away only to turn around and straddle him. His mind was transported back to his first visit to the island and the nights after everyone went to bed. The passionate kisses and roaming hands were seared into his brain from those nights. He remembered cataloging Azucena's sounds of pleasure and the feel of her body in his hands.

He wasn't at all surprised when she wrapped the blanket around her shoulders; but he was thrilled when she leaned forward and kissed him. The desire in that kiss sent a wave of electricity through his body, and he was even more turned on by her aggressive move of placing his hand on her breast. It was her way of telling him she wanted more, and he wasn't one to deny her. He fondled her breasts through her shirt as she ground against him. He wrapped one arm around her waist and slid the other hand up her shirt, tugging the cup of her bra down. He brushed his thumb against her nipple and the moan in the back of her throat made him even harder.

He had planned for them to sleep out under the stars, but with this change in events it wouldn't be a wise move to stay outdoors much longer. He paused long enough to ask one word, "Upstairs?"

"Upstairs." She confirmed, breathlessly. It took a few moments for them to pull apart. Tommy grabbed the bucket and dowsed the flames with sea water, while Azucena gathered up the blankets and tarp they had drug out of the house. Tommy grabbed the pillows and they both quickly headed inside. They climbed the stairs, trying to keep their hands off each other, but failing miserably.

Once inside her room, shirts came off and hands roamed freely. Sounds of ecstasy didn't have to be muffled, and they both found pleasure in their first Valentine's Day together.


End file.
